C. S. Marvel was born in Waynesville, Illinois on September 2, 1894. Marvel was first introduced to chemistry while a freshman at Illinois Wesleyan on the recommendation that "the next generation of farmers was going to need scientific knowledge to get the most out of their work". After receiving his BS degree, he entered graduate school in 1915 at the University of Illinois.
During his first semester at Illinois, Marvel took an overload of course work which gave rise to his earning the nickname by which he is most commonly known. After working a late night in the lab, Professor Marvel would...