Dr Gordon Cragg (OK 1952) delivering his speech at the Rhodes University graduation ceremony on 10 April 2010 at which he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate



                          L to R : Dr Gordon Cragg (OK 1952) with his brother Dr Donald Cragg (OK 1949)


Dr Gordon Cragg (OK 1952) received an Honourary Doctorate from Rhodes University at the graduation ceremony of 10 April 2010.

Gordon has carved a niche in the diverse discipline of Organic Chemistry at the point where nature and science meet. He has researched extensively the production of cancer and HIV/Aids drugs from plants, and has helped discover useful chemicals that are slowly changing the face of medicine.

His interest in the use of nature and plants to produce drugs was sparked by South Africa’s wealth of biodiversity. After he matriculated from Kingswood in 1952 and then graduated from Rhodes University in 1956  with a BSc Hons in Chemistry, he developed a keen interest in the numerous plants in and around the Cape Town area. In 1963, he furthered his studies by obtaining his DPhil from Oxford University.

This was followed by a two-year long post-doctoral research completed at the University of California after which he returned to South Africa to work for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. In all his research endeavours, he has emphasized the importance of international and multi-disciplinary collaboration, and has travelled to over 30 countries and conducted extensive research in Brazil.

As a result, he has been able to make revolutionary contributions towards the treatment and control of cancer. In 1979, he was appointed Assistant Director of the Cancer Research Institute at Arizona State University. Gordon has also been very closely affiliated with the National Cancer Institute based in the USA where he was appointed chief in 1985.

He retired in 2004, but continues to serve as a Special Volunteer of the National Institute of Health in America. For his commitment and contribution to the institute he received a Merit Award for demonstrating leadership in internal collaborative research and helping to develop the anti-cancer drug Taxol. Gordon’s involvement in discovering new natural product agents for cancer treatment has been rewarded by the Missouri Botanical Garden, where he was also honoured by having a tree that was recently discovered in Madagascar named after him – Ludia Craggiana.

Gordon and his brother Donald (OK 1949) visited Kingswood a few days before the graduation ceremony. They spent the morning on the campus reminiscing about their school years. When looking at the portraits of previous head masters in the Dining Hall, Gordon pointed to the painting of Charles Dacam and remarked that Charles had played a pivotal role in his academic career and that much of his success was attributed to Charles Dacam because it was he who had insisted that Gordon study the sciences whilst at Kingswood.

The Kingswood family would like to congratulate Gordon on his lifetime of great achievements and we have no doubt that the honour bestowed on him by Rhodes University is richly deserved.  For the text of Gordon's Graduation Address, click here.