In Memoriam

Always a Badger Chemist

Many extraordinary people have worked over the years to make the UW-Madison Department of Chemistry the great success it is today and many have graduated from our program to excel in the field and in the lives of others. Here we celebrate the memory of our badger alumni and friends.

The listing below currently includes those we know of who have passed away. We have limited information in some of the entries. If you would like to add any content or entries, please email the text, as well as the name of the deceased and a link to their obituary online to connect@chem.wisc.edu.

Memorial Stories

Patrick Meier (Ph.D. 1981, Vedejs)
Dr. Patrick Meier was the kind of mentor who could be in the hospital and would still want to take the time to catch up with his previous students, which is exactly the story Professor Kathryn Meier told about her late husband.
Remembering Phil Certain (Ph.D. 1969, Hirschfelder)
Phillip R. Certain, dean of the College of Letters & Science from 1993 until 2004, died Tuesday, August 11 at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg at age 76 after a years-long struggle with progressive supranuclear palsy. He was the fifth-longest-serving dean of the largest college on the UW-Madison campus.
Remembering Marilyn Olmstead (Ph.D. 1969, Fenske)
Alumna teacher and leader in X-ray crystallography pioneered key techniques in the field By Becky Oskin, research communications UC Davis College of Letters and Science Marilyn Olmstead, a leader in X-ray crystallography and a stellar …
Remembering Hans Reich (Ph.D. 1968, Cram)
Everyone who knew Hans Reich knew of his love for the chemistry department. For 43 years of his life, Reich distinguished himself as an exceptional professor, a passionate scientist, and above all, an inspiring colleague. He died May 1, 2020, at age 76, from an injury sustained in a bicycle accident.
Remembering Steve Yamamoto (B.S. 1965, Ph.D. PSU)
At his 45th high school reunion, Steve Yamamoto said that he had “gone on to try just about everything,” and looking at his life, this was not an exaggeration. Steve grew up in Madison. His father, Shinji Yamamoto, was a Wisconsin state architect who managed construction of many familiar and important state and university buildings. Robert J. McMahon, professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained that Madison was an important place for the family, especially for Steve.

Class of 1931

Paula Rose Hansen (12/09/1909-03/25/2005)
BS 1931
Konrad Bates Krauskopf (10/30/1910-05/04/2003)1931 BA in Chemistry, 1934 Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, 1939 Ph.D. in Geology from Stanford
Konrad was a geology professor at Stanford University. His research specialization included seminal studies of aqueous solution-metal complex equilibria and thermodynamic applications to solid-melt-fluid partitioning. He also did notable work in radioactive waste and disposal. Konrad wrote several textbooks highlighting how principles of physics and chemistry apply to the Earth in the context of geochemistry and physical geology. Some of his most acclaimed works are The Third Planet: An Invitation to Geology; Fundamentals of Physical Science: An Introduction to the Physical Sciences; The Physical Universe; and Radioactive Waste Disposal and Geology.
Charles R. Naeser (03/05/2005)
1931 BS, 1935 Ph.D. from University of Illinois
Complete obituary from C&EN
Charles’s research during his Ph.D. helped establish the atomic weight of rare-earth metal gadolinium. Later in 1940, he worked with the US Naval Research Laboratory and developed a technique to enrich uranium, which subsequently led to the development of atomic power. From
1942-1945, he was captain of the US Army’s Chemical Warfare Service,e and between 1950 and 1951, he was a scientific advisor for the European Command in Germany.

Class of 1933

Edward John Schwoegler (06/30/1911-10/15/2004)
BS 1933, Ph.D. in Chemistry 1939 (Adkins)
Complete obituary on Find a Grave

Class of 1936

Don Pearson (06/21/1914-04/14/2004)
1936 BS in Chemistry, Ph.D. from UI Urbana–Champaign
He was a chemistry professor at Vanderbilt University from 1946 until his retirement as Distinguished Professor Emeritus in 1986.

Class of 1938

Eugene Oscar Brimm (07/07/1916-04/14/2004)
BS 1938
James D. D’ianni (03/11/1914-08/14/2007)
1938 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Obituary Article from C&E News
Wikipedia Entry
James, who was active in ACS and served as president in 1980, worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber, where he helped develop materials to support the military in WWII. He was a member of NAS, the American Institute of Chemists and an Institution of the Rubber Industry fellow. During his career he was an author on more than 50 publications and secured 17 patents.
Arthur Louis Rautman (02/07/1910-04/17/2004)
BS 1934, MS 1935, Ph.D. 1938 (McElvain)

Class of 1939

Frederick M. Granberg (10/29/1914-01/10/2005)
BS 1939 (Hall)
Frederick was the vice president of Charles A. Lee Associates, Inc., and the consulting engineer in Knoxville.
Fred Kummerow (10/04/1914 – 05/31/2017)
1939 BS in Chemistry; 1941 MS in Biochemistry; 1944 Ph.D. in Biochemistry
Obituary article available from the New York Times
Dr. Kummerow was a biochemist focused on the health hazards of trans-fatty acids in processed foods. He taught food technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign until his retirement. He died at his home in Urbana, Ill at the age of 102.

Class of 1942

Robert (Bob) Elbert Burks, Jr. (08/24/1917 – 11/07/2017)
1942 MS in Chemistry; 1948 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Birmingham News (Alabama), 11/12/2017
Dr. Robert (Bob) Elbert Burks, Jr. and his wife Mary pioneered the Alabama environmental movement by helping found what is now the Alabama Environmental Council. Bob worked as a research chemist for Southern Research Institute, and taught Polymer Science at the University of Mississippi in Hattiesburg. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Bob to the Alabama Environmental Council.

Class of 1943

James Adams (10/29/1921 – 10/17/2019)
1943 BS (Klein)
Obituary from Wausau Daily Herald (legacy.com)
Adams was a chemist who worked on developing synthetic rubber during WWII. He then worked Reed Lignin, Inc. where he was responsible for over 20 patents and multiple publications in the rubber and wood products industries until his retirement in 1985. In his free time, he was an avid Nordic skier and played an role in the development of the Wausau Area Nordic Ski Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to GHT-Conover/Phelps Biking and Hiking Trail or the Wausau Nordic Ski Club.
Warren D. Niederhauser (01/02/1918-01/23/2005)
1943 Ph.D. in Chemistry (Adkins)
Obituary Article from C&E News
Warren was the director of research at Rohm and Haas and the former president of the American Chemical Society (ACS). As a board member of ACS, he developed society programs to increase the professional value of chemists and supported tax incentives for scientific research. He prompted ACS to become more involved in monitoring federal research and development funding decisions. He was also the co-editor of the book “legal rights of chemists and engineers.”
Edward Brown Osborne (04/27/1920-10/25/2004)
MS 1943

Class of 1944

Stanley Mirviss (09/15/1922 – 04/28/2019)
1944 BS in Biological Sciences and Chemistry; 1951 Ph.D. (McElvain) in Biological Sciences and Chemistry
Obituary from Legacy.com
Read more about Stanley Mirviss and his wife, Ina, and their lasting impact on the UW–Madison community.
Dr. Mirviss was a brilliant organic chemist who began his career at Esso before moving to Stauffer Chemical Co. and then to Chesebrough-Ponds, Unilever, and Azko Nobel. During his time in industry, he was involved in the approval of over 60 patents.
Roswell Ruka (01/23/1923 – 12/31/2019)
1944 BS in Chemistry, 1948 M.S. in Chemistry, Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Roswell worked for decades, first at Westinghouse Electric, then Siemens, as a research chemist, inventing and perfecting fuel cell generators and other electrochemical systems. He was a very personable man and enjoyed playing tennis as well as being an avid gardener.

Class of 1945

Sallie Fisher (mm/dd/1984-04/18/2005)
1945 BS in chemistry, 1946 MS, 1949 Ph.D.
Complete obituary from c&en
Sallie was co-founder and president of Puricons, Inc., in Malvern, PA. She oversaw research involving the applications of ion exchange. She taught at Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass., and the University of Minnesota, Duluth. In 1951, she was offered Group Leader’s position at Rohm and Haas Company in Dr. Robert Kunin’s ion Exchange Lab. She helped develop the processes for the recovery of uranium, cobalt, and nickel. Her methods for the evaluation of new polymeric structures are still used in industry. In 1974 she received the ASTM Award of Merit, and in 1975 the Max Hecht Award.
Margaret Mae (Peggy) Rendall (12/6/1923 – 02/21/2017)
1945 BA in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Journal Times, Racine, WI
Peggy received her Bachelor’s Degree from UW-Madison and worked as a research chemist at Johnson’s Wax for 40 years.
Gilbert Stork (10/21/2017)
1945 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from C&E News
Stork was a pioneer in enamine chemistry, leading to development of the Stork enamine alkylation. He was Eugene Higgins Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at Columbia University and published papers up until his death at age 95.

Class of 1946

Harry P. Schultz (03/09/1918-12/07/2020)
1942 BS, 1946 Ph.D. (Adkins)
Complete Obituary from Sheridan Media
Tribute from C&E News
Tribute from UF
Feature Story from South Florida ACS for Harry’s 100th birthday
Harry studied heterocyclic aromatic organic chemistry, worked on applied medical research and mentored 30 graduate students. He was active in the American Chemical Society and served as professor and chair of the University of Miami Department of Chemistry.

Class of 1947

Clarence Bergstrom (10/23/1925 – 04/28/2021)
1947 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Chicago Tribune
Clarence dedicated his professional career G. D. Searle & Company, where he was a senior research investigator and chief of stability testing for the pharmaceutical firm, now part of Pfizer.
Robert L. Clarke (03/10/1917 – 05/14/2004)
Ph.D. 1947 (McElvain)

Class of 1948

David Berman (10/28/2019)
1948 B.S. (Ihde)
Katharine P. Daub (09/27/1924 – 01/22/2019)
1948 MA in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at The Claremont Courier
Katharine was an avid golfer and a world traveler who volunteered at the New Mexico Humane Association, the Albuquerque Zoo (where she especially enjoyed taking the alpacas out to meet with zoo visitors), a local soup kitchen, and as treasurer for four different women’s golf associations after retiring from teaching in the Albuquerque Public Schools.
Alvin Frisque (01/27/1923 – 01/18/2017)
1948 B.S. in Chemistry; 1954 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Chicago Tribune
Dr. Frisque joined the Army Air Corps, worked on a team that received numerous patents, spend time with Standard Oil in Indiana, and rounded out the remainder of his career at Nalco Chemical Company, until his retirement in 1985.
Margaret (Maggie) J. Grant (06/14/2017)
1948 MA in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Delaware Online
Maggie was married to her beloved husband and high school sweetheart, Dave, until his death in 2015. She worked as a chemist until her son Duncan was born in 1950.
James (Charlie) Nichol (04/06/1922 – 06/20/2017)
1948 Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Duluth News Tribune
Charlie did his post doctorate work at Yale University for one year. He loved teaching, reading and learning. He was a 70-year member of the American Chemical Society, and 50-year member of the Royal Chemical Society.
Roswell Ruka (12/31/2019)
BS 1944; MS 1948 (McElvain)

Class of 1949

Evelyn Barg (07/06/1924 – 05/13/2020)
1949 BS in Biological Sciences and Chemistry (Ihde)
Complete Obituary from The Miner
Evelyn’s interests included attending church activities, spending time with her family, traveling and spending time at her family’s camp at Lorton Lake.
Mary Bernard (04/22/1927 – 01/24/2019)
1949 BA in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Beacon-News
For several years, Mary was a board member and the eventual chairman of the board for the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) in Aurora.
Richard James Boomer (10/19/1923 – 04/05/2017)
1949 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Richard served in the US Navy during WWII and during the Korean Conflict. Richard worked at Abbott Laboratories until he retired in 1986.
Arthur James (Art) Lueptow (07/06/1924 – 04/14/2017)
1949 BS in Chemistry; 1950 MS in Biochemistry
Complete Obituary from Memorial Park Funeral Homes
Art was a World War II veteran, earning the Bronze Star Medal. He was a natural salesman and enjoyed making others laugh. He also loved playing golf, fishing, and working on handyman projects in his free time.
John Neptune (1919 – 04/14/2017)
1949 MS in Chemistry; 1952 Ph.D
Memorial Post from San Jose State University
Worked as part of the Manhattan Project after receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Muskingum University. He then UW-Madison, where he received his Ph.D. He most recently served as professor emeritus at San Jose State University in San Jose, CA, where he worked for 52 years.
Winifred Saunders (10/26/2019)
BS 1949 (Schuette)
Complete Obituary from Restland Funeral Home
Winifred was a lovely and kind woman who lived in Mansfield, TX. In the early years of WWII, she worked for DuPont, formulating batches for the manufacture of TNT for ordnance. In 1943, she joined the Navy and served in a Naval hospital lab in San Diego
Gordon Schellhas (10/14/1923 – 09/10/2020)
BS 1949 (Woyski)
Complete Obituary from The Star Tribune
Gordon worked for Paul Lewis Laboratories after graduation before a 30-year career at Rahr Malting Company and retiring in 1986. He was a member of the American Legion Billie Brown Post #627 as well as a longtime member of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Valley of Milwaukee. Gordon was a Naval aviator in WWII, who flew PBYs out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Willemstad, Curaçao. He loved volunteering, playing the glockenspiel, and spending time with his children.
Jean Thomas (11/16/1927 – 02/28/2018)
1949 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Clancy-Gernon Funeral Homes
Chemistry Course “Obituary for Jean V. Thomas
Jean wanted to be a chemist after receiving a chemistry set in grade school. She fought the idea that chemistry was not a field for women, graduating Magna cum Laude with a BS in chemistry and minors in mathematics and languages.
She published papers, worked as a quality control chemist at Armour & Company in Chicago, co-founded PENTEX Incorporated and worked for Miles Scientific. She received numerous honors, including Who’s Who Among American Women (1966), and was on numerous boards.
Wilbur A.G. Voss (09/10/1926 – 10/31/2017)
1949 BS in Chemistry; 1957 BS in Pharmacy
Complete Obituary from Post Crescent
Wilbur received two bachelor’s degrees from UW-Madison, then became a Registered Pharmacist in 1958 and retired in 1988.
Carol Wallace (01/28/1925 – 02/21/2021)
1949 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary in The Boston Globe
Carol was the beloved grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of three.

Class of 1950

Robert Baldwin (09/30/1927 – 03/06/2020)
1950 BA in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Stanford Medicine
Robert was a Rhodes Scholar, an assistant professor for UW–Madison Biochemistry, and ‘paved the way for scientists to investigate the initial steps in folding by analyzing small fragments rather than the entire protein.’ He was a published author, with nearly 200 publications, and received numerous awards such as the 1995 Wheland Chemistry Award.
Vernon Currier (12/13/1925 – 12/10/2019)
1950 B.S. in Chemistry (Johnson)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Vernon worked for Jefferson Chemical Company for 32 years until retirement after receiving his UW-Madison degree. His research focus was on polyurethane foam and he was credited with multiple patents on this product. Some of Vernon’s hobbies included traveling, playing cards and board games, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
William B. Dickinson (1/20/1926 – 1/28/2019)
1950 Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (McElvain)
Complete Obituary from The Times Union
Bill was from Norfolk, VA. He attended Emory University for his B.A. (1946) and M.S. (1947), before obtaining his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at UW-Madison. He worked for the Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute in Rensselaer, NY as a senior chemist and retired in 1988. He was elected to the New York Academy of Sciences in 1963, authored several scientific articles, and received 35 U.S. and foreign patents. He was active in church, played tennis, roller skates, and danced. His love for organic chemistry inspired him to create fellowships for students attending Emory and UW-Madison to study the subject as graduate students.
Paul Frohmader (05/13/1925 – 02/24/2019)
1950 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Olsen-Gibson Funeral Home
Paul entered the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and served in the 75th Infantry Division, which fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Upon discharge from the Army, he continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Leonard Jensen (04/20/1920 – 04/04/2019)
1950 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at The Journal Times
Leonard was an active member of the 82nd Airborne Division Association and a lifetime member of the American Chemical Society.
Delbert “Del” Luebke (04/04/1928 – 01/29/2021)
1950 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Pagenkopf Funeral Home
Del was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1954 and served at Oakland Army Base in California. Later, he retired from Abbott Laboratories after 27 years. He was an avid reader, enjoyed fishing and carved detailed replica ships.
Darwin Lyell Mayfield (02/22/1920 – 04/29/2017)
1950 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from the UW-Madison Alumni Association
During World War II, Darwin worked on the Manhattan Project. He later taught chemistry at the University of Idaho, Moscow, in Bangkok, Thailand and organic chemistry at California State University, Long Beach, until retirement in 1990. After retirement, he continued to teach classes, which included a Paws and Jaws elementary school biology course and a pre-freshman course at CSULB.
James Edgar Meinhard (03/24/1919-02/27/2005)
B.S. 1947, Ph.D. 1950 (Hall)
Ruth Meyer Polin (06/29/2017 – 12/15/1917)
1950 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Estes-Leadley Funeral Home
Ruth was a research chemist, taught chemistry at several schools, including Michigan State University, and was a reading specialist with The Institute for Research on Teaching. She also received an M.A. in Reading from MSU in 1981.

Class of 1951

Irving I. Domsky (09/02/2017)
1951 BS in Chemistry; 1958 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Chicago Tribune
Irving worked as a lab director of Allied Laboratories Ltd. in Villa Park.
Robert Harris (08/19/2017)
1951 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Robert A. Keller (10/14/27 – 01/31/2018)
1951 BS in Chemistry; 1958 M.D.
Complete Obituary from The Sheboygan Press
Robert worked as an organic chemist at Merck Pharmaceutical prior to attending medical school. He was a charter member of the American Board of Family Medicine and worked at the Sheboygan Clinic until his retirement in 1990. He was a volunteer, loved to travel and enjoyed riding bicycles.
Harry John Krall (09/29/1924 – 07/24/2017)
1951 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (New York)
Harry served in the U.S. Army during World War II, worked for Eastman Kodak and Memorex and authored six patents for film production methods. He retired in 1990 and spent time traveling.
George S. Robbins (04/18/1925 – 05/22/2017)
1951 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Cress Funeral Service
George was a chemist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than four decades. He loved to travel, spend time outside and ride his bike.
Harold Schick (11/26/2017)
1951 Ph.D. in Chemistry

Class of 1952

Monte Blau (06/17/1926 – 05/01/2019)
1952 Ph.D. in Biochemistry; 1952 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Dignity Memorial
Monte’s area of expertise was the use of radioactive isotopes for diagnostic imaging. Through the World Health Organization, Monte served for several months as an advisor at the Radiation Medicine Centre (RMC) of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, India. Merrill Bender, M.D., and Monte invented a new class of imaging device, the autofluoroscope, which reduced the time required for a brain or liver scan to about one-tenth of the time required with earlier technology. Monte and his wife, Guitta, traveled extensively on cruises and enjoyed bird-watching.
Armin Fuhlbrigge (12/30/2019)
BA 1951, BS 1952, MD 1955 (Woyski)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Armin was a caring family physician at Toledo Hospital for a long 30-year career before retiring in 1991. He was a member of the Toledo Academy of Medicine for more than 30 years, he joined the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians on February 1, 1962, and was awarded the degree of Fellow from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
James Hornig (1929 – 06/12/2017)
1952 MS in Chemistry; 1955 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Valley News
James completed a year of post-doctoral research in Germany, worked for DuPont, then as a professor and dean. He retired in 1997, and worked with the Hanover Planning Board and Hanover Conservancy.
Maurice B. Mutimer (mm/dd/1927-11/24/2004)
BS 1952
Howard Benedict Palmer (07/10/1925 – 01/19/2017)
1952 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Koch Funeral Home
Obituary also available from Legacy.com
Howard served as an electronics technician in the Navy, then attended UW–Madison, and researched at the Naval Research Laboratory under Prof. J. o. Hirschfelder. He also worked as a teacher, researcher, professor, department head, dean, editor, consultant and musician. He taught and managed 35 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and published 120 times.
Marie Roth (01/03/2020)
Ph.D. 1952 (Johnson)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Marie was a dedicated organic chemist as an abstractor for Chemical Abstracts and then as a literature chemist for Arthur D. Little, Cambridge, MA and Pittsburgh Plate Glass Paint Division in Milwaukee; and teaching positions at Carroll College, the UW Center System, UW-Milwaukee, and Marquette University. She was also an active member of the Milwaukee Section of the American Chemical Society as an editor. She loved being involved in her children’s activities during her free time as a loving mother.
Kensal Van Holde (11/09/2019)
B.S. 1948, Ph.D. 1952 (Williams)
Complete Obituary from ASBMB.org
Kensal was a renowned biochemist and a longtime associate editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. He was known for his work on protein structure and function, especially on invertebrate respiratory proteins. He also developed a method for a rapid approach to sedimentation equilibrium before his retirement in 1993.

Class of 1953

William John Maeck (05/18/1929 – 02/13/2018)
1953 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Post Register
William majored in chemistry under Dr. Farington Daniels, spent two years in the U.S. Army Chemical Corp in Nevada and worked for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Laboratory. He loved the outdoors, traveling and dog training. He retired in 1984. The Idaho State Journal wrote a story on Bill in 2018 and a scholarship exists in his name, benefiting an undergraduate researcher in chemistry at UW-Madison.
George N. Saunsen (08/14/1927 – 08/01/2019)
1953 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Delaware Online
George is the inventor and co-inventor of nine U.S. patents. His technical career with DuPont was in two parts: CR&D (Explosives Departments) and as a Registered Patent Agent and manager of Corporate Information Science.
John Schneider (09/29/1931 – 06/03/2019)
1953 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Washington Post
John was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1931, earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and served as a professor at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon and at Vanderbilt University before moving to Washington, DC to work at the National Cancer Institute (NIH) until his retirement.
Robert Searls (05/06/2017)
1953 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Daily Progress
Robert served in the U.S. Army, then earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from UC-Berkeley. He worked as a researcher in embryology, a teacher, and retired in 1998.
Roger Somsen (07/01/2020)
B.S. 1953
Complete Obituary from Olson Funeral Home
Roger had a 30-year career in paper manufacturing in Monroe, Louisiana. After retirement, he moved to Florida and then Tennessee. His hobbies include boating, traveling, and reading spy novels.

Class of 1954

Richard Steil Berger (04/28/1929 – 10/11/2017)
1954 MS in Chemistry; 1954 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Greenville News
Richard served for two years in the pharmaceutical chemistry branch of the U.S. Army, worked for Shell Oil and Phillips Fibers Corp. He volunteered with Alliance for Quality Education, Greenville Faith Communities United, and Character Matters.
David B. Ludlum (09/30/1929-04/03/2003)
Ph.D. 1954
James Yingpeh Tong (12/1926-09/24/2019)
Ph.D. 1954 in chemistry (King)
Complete Obituary from Ohio Forum
Tong was a professor at Ohio State for 40 years. He was a much-loved mentor and advocate for women in the sciences. He created a BS degree in forensic chemistry and started Ohio Chemistry Contest Day. A scholarship in his and his wife’s names supports undergraduates in chemistry at UW-Madison.
Fay Yin (03/10/1932 – 07/20/2020)
BA 1954 chemistry, Ph.D. Biochem 1960 (Bock)
Complete Obituary from LifeStory-LifePosts
Fay was an avid biochemist, spending 26 years at DuPont as a research virologist on both rhinoviruses and HIV before retirement in 1991. In her free time, Fay loved international folk dancing before publishing a collection of memoirs in the early 2000s.

Class of 1955

William F. Johns (1930 – 09/22/2019)
1955, Ph.D. in Chemistry (Johnson)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Bill held 24 patents and published more than 30 articles. He worked as director of medicinal chemistry at G.D. Searle and Company, then senior director of medicinal chemistry at Sterling Drug, Inc. He chaired the Medicinal Chemistry division of the ACS.
Robert Krahnke (10/03/1933 – 08/28/2020)
BS 1955 (Daniels)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Robert received his UW-Madison degree at the same time that he was in ROTC and he served in the Air Force for several years. After the army, he worked as a research chemist at Dow Corning Corp, receiving several honors for technical achievement and several patents related to silicone elastomers. In his free time, he enjoyed planning summer camping trips, collecting stamps, and doing photography.
Malcolm H. Mossman (10/01/1929 – 08/17/2019)
1952 BA in Chemistry: 1955 MA in Geology
Complete Obituary from The Bakersfield Californian
Known for donning a Santa outfit and hosting the Halloween apple bob, Malcolm was well-liked and appreciated by all who met him. Whether at work, on the courts, in the choir, at church, or in the neighborhood, he was a person who could be counted on to offer help, friendship, and a welcoming smile.
Maurice Shamma (02/24/2018)
1955 Ph.D. in Chemistry

Class of 1956

Peter Graf (03/31/1930 – 12/20/2019)
1956 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at The Union
Peter volunteered at the South Yuba River State Park and the Bear-Yuba Land Trust. He helped the Sierra Club to build the Bradley Ski Hut and was a member of the Bear Creek Planning Committee in Alpine Meadows.
Willis Waite (04/7/1925 – 10/05/2017)
1956 MA in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Logan Herald Journal
Willis received his BA from Brigham Young University in 1947, MA from UW-Madison in 1956, and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1966.

Class of 1957

Shirley Bach (11/22/1931 – 02/13 /2018)
1957 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Kalamazoo Gazette
Shirley was a chemist with an interest in medical ethics, which she taught at Western Michigan University. She helped plan WMU’s Homer Stryker School of Medicine in Kalamazoo. She loved to travel and enjoy music.
Robert Bates (12/16/1933 – 06/11/2020)
1957 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Ever Loved
Much of Robert’s work focused on determining the structures of antitumor agents. He was a very serious birder and got both his sons engaged in the birding world.
David H. Clemens (11/08/1931 – 09/19/2020)
Ph.D. 1957 (McElvain)
Complete Obituary from the Tuttle Yeisley Funeral Home
Dave earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and then spent his working career as an organic chemist at Rohm and Haas in Philadelphia, PA. Dave and his wife, Carol, were early members of the community-based collaborative non-profit, Friends of Salt Springs Park, Inc. With others, they supported the creation of trails and programs at Salt Springs Park and the Florence Shelley Preserve.
Thomas Clarence Ehlert (07/01/1931 – 11/06/2017)
1957 B.S. in Chemistry; 1958 MS in Chemistry; 1963 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Milwaukee Sentinel Journal
Thomas served in the U.S. Army as a guided missile maintenance specialist. He later became a chemist and professor, who identified the melting point of Uranium Dioxide. He loved genealogy, history, volunteering.
Richard Charles Gueldner (05/20/1935 – 04/10/2017)
1957 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Richard earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Iowa, worked at G.D. Searle, General Electric, for the USDA, and with Johnson and Johnson. His work helped control the cotton destroying boll weevil and protect corn and tobacco crops. He earned patents and published numerous papers. He loved to travel, fish, farm, listen to music and admire art.
Russell Kriese (11/25/1935 – 03/03/2017)
1957 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Russell was a member of the American Chemical Society, a research chemist in metals and mining, and an Avon Products Quality Control Engineer. He worked for Armco Steel, Abbott Laboratories International, Nickel and Avon Products, until his retirement in June 1995.
Charles Muckenfuss (05/02/1927 – 08/26/2019)
1953 B.S. in Chemistry; 1957 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The Daily Gazette
In 1950, Charles spent a year traveling around the world for the purpose of making geophysical observations on a contract with the Office of Natural Resources held by the Woods Hole Institute. After 10 years with GE, Charles accepted a position in the chemical engineering department of R.P.I. in Troy, N.Y. where he taught chemical engineering until he retired after 27 years.
Gordon R. Pscheidt (11/04/1928-09/13/2004)
B.S. 1950, MS 1952, Ph.D. 1957 (Woyski)
Martin Ronald (09/14/1932 – 01/03/2021)
1957 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home
Upon completing his education, Ronald went on to work in the research department of AMOCO until his retirement in 1992 at 60 years old. Ronald loved the Green Bay Packers and the White Sox, bowling, golf, and travel, but mostly he was a devoted family man who loved his family indefinitely.
Kenneth Schulz (02/18/2018)
1957 B.S. in Chemistry

Class of 1958

Donald Fieder (09/25/1934 – 04/19/2020)
1958 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Smith-Corcoran
Don earned a bachelor’s of science in chemistry from UW-Madison. He lived in Palatine, IL and earned numerous patents involving optics and materials development. He is remembered as a man of faith whose smile could light up a room.
Shirley R. Pomeroy Herndon (08/26/1930 – 02/21/2019)
1958 M.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Roller Funeral Homes
As a career educator, her life was spent in both the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge. Always up for the next great adventure, and having gained a passion for traveling from her father, in her life she had visited every continent, less one.
Phillip L. Weyna (05/11/1932 – 05/20/2021)
1958 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Davenport Family Homes
Phil believed that having a family was what life was all about, and was an involved and caring father who was deeply loved by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His children remember with fondness their Wednesday night wrestling matches, traveling all over the United States on family vacations, and Phil’s encouragement in all their endeavors.

Class of 1960

William James “Bill” Connors (06/15/1938 – 03/30/2020)
1960 BS in Chemistry, 1981 J.D. from UW-Madison
Complete Obituary from Madison.com
Bill went on to also earn an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Delaware, a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Washington, and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He was a research assistant to Nobel Prize laureate Har Gobind Khorana, a patent lawyer for Nicolet Instruments, Lubrizol and Grand Metropolitan and designed and built a house on Quinn Circle for his family.
Richard James Hartl (05/02/1937 – 11/12/2018)
1960 B.S. in Chemical Engineering
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
He worked for Monsanto Chemical Company, General Electric and Fasson, a division of Avery International, Avery International, and Calmar Dispensing Systems. Dick was generous with his time, giving it to the causes that mattered most to him, including the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, SCORE OC and the San Juan Capistrano Utilities Commission. His intense interest in education led he and Joan to establish scholarships for students attending St. Mary’s Central High School in Appleton, Wisconsin and for graduates attending the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Along with Badger and Packer football, he loved his planes, boats and HAM radio, hiking, bridge and all things tech-related.
Lee T. Rozelle (08/30/2019)
1960 Ph.D. Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Coulee Region Cremation Group
Lee earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at –Madison, started his career at North Star Research and Development and later held a position as Vice President at Culligan International. He made many contributions to the water quality industry including serving as Chairman of the Water Quality Association and as a member of numerous Water Quality and Purification Societies.

Class of 1961

Kenneth Edmund Dempsky (03/23/1938 – 02/18/2018)
1961 B.S. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The News Times
Kenneth worked at SC Johnson, Hercules, Ciba-Energy, Reichhold Chemicals and his company, K&S Industries. Ken loved to fish and ski.
Donald Donermeyer (08/28/1934 – 07/04/2019)
1956 B.S. in Chemistry; 1961 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Mass Live
Donald worked as a research chemist for Monsanto at Bircham Bend in Springfield for over 30 years, earning multiple patents for his work with polymers until he retired in 1993. After a few years of retirement, he chose to return to chemistry where he consulted with Specialized Technology Resources until he retired for good in 2002.
Maurice Lee Oehler (01/21/1933-01/23/2020)
1961 MS in Chemistry (Zimmerman)
Complete Obituary from Garrity Funeral Home
Maury received a BA in chemistry and secondary education from MnSU-Mankato in 1956, followed by an M.S. in chemical education from UW-Madison. He taught in Minnesota and Wisconsin until he retired in 1996. He also worked as an insurance agent. Maurice founded the National Mole Day Foundation, Inc. to engage students in chemistry.
James Patton (11/10/1929 – 01/09/2021)
1961 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Covid-19 Wall of Memories – As a chemist and geo-chemist, he spent his entire career at Marathon Oil Company in its research facility in Littleton. He was proud to be named on six U.S. and three international patents for chemical processes he developed, including the scintillatingly named, “Processes for the Autoxidation of Substituted Benzenes.
Howard William Whitlock (05/02/1936 – 01/27/2017)
1961 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Cress Funeral Home
Howard studied under Professor William S. Johnson, writing his thesis, Approaches to the Synthesis of the Alkaloid Veratramine. He worked in research, publishing more than 90 times, taught, and worked on computerized organic synthesis. He enjoyed nature, biking, camping, canoeing, gardening, woodworking, and helping preserve Kettle Pond Conservation Park.
Elizabeth Wiggert (1934 – 04/10/2020)
BA 1956, MS 1961 (West)
Complete Obituary from The Miami Herald
In addition to her career, Beth was a willing volunteer for the UU Congregation of Miami and Institute of Maya Studies as well as being a poll worker for Miami-Dade county. She loved camping, bird-watching, and listening to classical music during her free time.

Class of 1962

John Bray (09/25/1934 – 10/07/2020)
1962 BS in Mathematics; 1967 BS in Electrical Engineering; 1990 MAJ in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Madison.com – Immediately after graduating from Whitewater State Teachers College High School in 1952, he enlisted in the regular U.S. Army. He became a member of the 82nd Airborne, then the 187th Regimental Combat Team during the Korean Conflict. He jumped over 24 times and received several commendations, including the Combat Infantry Badge.
Marian (Mira) Elez (06/19/2017)
1962 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Mira lived her entire life with an internal positive light and the selfless goal of bringing joy to the lives of others.
Donna Seiler Estry (01/01/1940 – 11/12/2017)
1962 BS in Chemistry; 1963 MS in Library & Information Studies
Complete Obituary from the Green Bay Press-Gazette
Donna loved science, Sunday School, reading, travel and music. She served as head of Kimberly-Clark’s Research and Engineering Library and Ford Motor Research Library.
Leonard Gabriel (06/15/1938-02/17/2003)
BS 1962 (Williams)
James Gross (01/09/2017)
1962 MS in Chemistry
Paul Kropp (06/29/1935 – 07/05/2020)
1962 Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (Johnson)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Paul worked at Proctor & Gamble as a Research Chemist before becoming a professor at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. He loved mentoring students, won numerous awards for his teaching and helped in the formation of the Applied Sciences program at UNC.
Elizabeth Schwarz (07/07/1934-03/05/2003)
MS 1962
Chester Underwood (08/06/1928 – 10/19/2020)
1957 BS in Chemistry; 1962 MS Biochemistry
Complete Obituary at Gunderson Funeral Home and Cremation Care – He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War as a Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class in charge of operating rooms and the ship’s pharmacy. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Biochemistry, worked on some of the early research into Warfarin, and ended his working career as a hospital and lab inspector for the State of Wisconsin.
Neil Woolsey (04/30/1935 – 06/20/2021)
1962 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Amundson Funeral Home – Neil continued on at UW, Madison on a National Science Foundation Fellowship (1959-1961) as he worked toward his Doctorate. His excellent academic performance earned Neil many accolades including membership in the American Chemical Society (1957), the prestigious Delta Epsilon Sigma fraternal order at Washington DC (1957), the Society of the Sigma Xi at UW, Madison (1960) and a rare Rhodes Scholarship for Chemistry placing him in the top 1% in the world post secondary chemistry students.

Class of 1963

Bill Suits (03/03/1930 – 04/09/2020)
1963 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from the American Chemical Society
Bill worked at UW-Madison managing the medical science lab and biophysics lab. Bill was an active member of the American Chemical Society North Jersey Section, working as a mentor for high school students in the ACS Project SEED program and an ACS career consultant.

Class of 1964

Phil Kammerer (04/25/1942 – 04/15/2017)
1964 BS in Chemistry; 1967 MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering
Complete Obituary from Cress Funeral Home
Phil loved the outdoors, hiking, boating, biking, rowing, travel, volunteering, and cooking. He worked as a water chemist with the USGS.
Marv Lang (07/01/1939 – 03/23/2019)
1964 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Stevens Point News
Marv was involved in the ACS Central Wisconsin Section for many years. He received many awards and recognitions for his contributions to chemical education, such as his election to “Corresponding Member of the Finnish Chemical Society.” Marv also loved to fish and trace his ancestry.
James Schooler (03/22/1936 – 07/01/2020)
MS 1959, Ph.D. 1964 (Wilds)
Complete Obituary from The Herald Sun
After his doctorate, James spent two years as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School before beginning a tenure as a professor of chemistry at Tuskegee University for four years. Then, he moved to teaching chemistry at Duke University and North Carolina Central University where he taught until retirement in 2006. James enjoyed listening to jazz music, fishing, and family time.

Class of 1965

Carol Bower (04/01/2021)
1965 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Reynolds and Shivery Funeral Home – In the past she received a Masters degree in chemistry from the U. of Wisconsin, and she worked for Forest Products Laboratory of Wisconsin. She had taught students at Delaware Technical College and last at DaySpring Christian Academy for 20 years.
Donald Kouri (02/09/2021)
1962 MS in Chemistry; 1965 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Dignity Memorial – In 1967 he began his 53-year long career at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas in the Department of Chemistry. As his career progressed, he was awarded the Cullen Distinguished Professor Chair in Physics.
Roger Simkin (11/13/1938 – 01/21/2019)
1965 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at auburnpub.com – Roger went on to study at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and taught chemistry at St. Peter’s College (N.J.) and studied the structure of insulin and hemoglobin for several years. He eventually obtained his MD in 1976 from Michigan State University, and went on to practice medicine as a pediatrician in Mason, Mich. until he retired in January 2004.
Ching-Yuan Tseng (04/06/2017)
1965 Ph.D. in chemistry
Stephen Y. Yamamoto (08/06/1943 – 09/30/2019)
1965 BS in chemistry
Online Memorial from Dignity Memorial
Badger Chemist Article
Steve grew up in Madison and received his bachelors in chemistry from UW-Madison. Steve had a successful career in the chemical and chemical information science industries, working as a research chemist for Eastman Kodak Company, an associate professor of chemistry and administrator of the cooperative education program at Rochester Institute of Technology and senior editor of Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. He also helped develop chemical databases for DuPont Company and served as an internet consultant.

Class of 1966

John Bade (08/30/1944 – 04/08/2017)
1966 BS in Chemistry; 1967 MS in Materials Science and Engineering
Complete Obituary from Madison.com
John worked for Bock Laboratories as senior facilities engineer for 37 years. He enjoyed restoring old cars, Packers games, gardening, and rescue pets.
Gary Daines (09/19/1944 – 08/31/2020)
BS 1966 in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Vosseteig Funeral Homes – He was an active NROTC (Navy ROTC) member throughout his post-secondary education. In 1968, he was called to service as a lieutenant for the Navy and was assigned to the first nuclear powered submarine, the USS Nautilus. He worked as a supply officer, assistant engineer, and also wrote chemical manuals for the USS Nautilus.
William Keifer (03/26/1943 – 03/13/2021)
1966 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at The Tribune Democrat – He received his BS in Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, his Masters of Analytical at the University of Wisconsin, and his Ph. D in Nuclear and Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Maryland.
Peter Mazurak (08/06/1942 – 07/26/2020)
MS 1966 (Willard), Ph.D. Institute of Paper Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Appleton Post-Crescent
Peter taught chemistry at the UW Center in Marinette, WI after graduation before receiving a commission from the Marine Corps. After his service in the Marines, he worked as technical director of the Neenah Paper Division and received two patents for highly absorbent material in diapers. Peter enjoyed restoring classic cars and working outdoors.
Edwin Ed Vedejs (01/31/1941 – 12/02/2017)
Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Cress Funeral Homes
Ed was an organic chemistry professor at UW–Madison and UM-Ann Arbor, who published and edited hundreds of papers and books. He received the Moses Gomberg Collegiate Professor of Chemistry Chair, and the Edwin Vedejs Collegiate Professor of Chemistry Chair was established in his honor. He won numerous awards, fellowships, and honors. He played classical guitar, loved nature, skiing, camping, biking, and traveling.

Class of 1967

Kenneth Barnett (04/08/1940 – 06/25/2019)
1967 Ph.D, in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Ohio Cremation and Memorial Society – He joined UMSL from Shell Chemical Co., where his proudest moment was the award of a patent for his work on ethylene oligomerization. Ken joined Ashland Chemical Co., in Dublin Ohio in 1979 and retired from there in 2003.
John D. Corcoran Jr. (4/26/1940 – 3/24/2019)
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry
Complete Obituary from The St. Joseph News-Press
John attended St. Louis University and University of Wisconsin-Madison, which he followed with an Executive Masters in Business Administration from The Carlton School of Business, University of Minnesota. During his research career, he worked on food additives, ultraviolet curable coatings, new polyurethane, and pharmaceuticals. He retired in 2005 to Cookeville, Tennessee. He was an emeritus member of the American Chemical Society with more than 50 years of service.
Jeffrey Paul Davis, MD (08/22/1945 – 01/16/2018)
BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Channel 3000
Jeff served as Chief Medical Officer for Communicable Diseases, as Wisconsin State Epidemiologist, and as Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences at the UW-School of Medicine and Public Health. He worked to improve public health, identifying toxic shock syndrome, Lyme disease, a Cryptosporidium outbreak, and other public health issues in the state. Jeff loved sports, music, travel and his dog, Bodhi.
David Hindermann (08/05/1940 – 12/09/2019)
Ph.D. 1967 (Cornwell)
Complete Obituary from The Hunterdon County Democrat
David had a long career after receiving his degree in physical chemistry from UW-Madison. He spent more than 35 years working in the family of AT&T companies in roles such as scientist, engineer, and project management leading multiple teams in rapid deployment of fiber optics and global communications. In his free time, David spent a lot of time involved in church groups and bible studies.
George Licke (04/23/1940 – 10/11/2019)
Ph.D. (Zimmerman)
Complete Obituary at The Herald Review – George worked for the Ethyl Corporation in Ferndale, MI until 1976. During his tenure there he developed a flame retardant for rayon which was patented.

Class of 1968

Donald Lee Perry (1947-01/19/2003)
1968 BS in Chemistry, 1975 Ph.D. in Chemistry from LSU
Complete obituary on Newspapers
Donald served in the US Army from 1968 to 1970, including a year as a medical specialist in Vietnam. After receiving his Ph.D., his research focus was on pollution control. He was also the vice president of Enviro-Med Laboratories in Baton Rouge.
John Roberts (08/05/1940 – 08/13/2019)
1968 BS in Chemistry; 1977 MD
Complete Obituary at Statesman Journal – Mark worked in private practice at Madison Orthopedic Associates in Madison, WI for 5 years then moved to Salem, OR where he continued in private practice for another 18 years. Following retirement from active practice in 2005, Mark volunteered at the Salem Free Clinic and, in later years, at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, helping provide a fresh start to the lives of juvenile inmates by performing laser tattoo removal
Dan Ver Ploeg (08/08/1935 – 03/26/2020)
Ph.D. 1968 (Alberty)
Complete Obituary from The Columbus Dispatch
Dan did postdoctoral studies in biochemistry for three years at Indiana University before moving to Columbus, Ohio where he worked for Chemical Abstracts Service writing scientific abstracts. He then joined the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Division of Drinking Water where he wrote regulations for public water systems until retiring in 1999. Dan loved baking bread and doing construction projects including electrical wiring for Habitat for Humanity.

Class of 1969

Phillip Certain (09/21/1943 – 08/11/2020)
Ph.D. 1969 (Hirschfelder)
Complete Obituary from Legacy Remembers
Memorial Feature Story from L&S
Phillip taught chemistry to UW students as part of the Theoretical Chemistry Institute. He published many papers and was the recipient of Guggenheim and Fulbright-Hayes Fellowships. He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His UW career also included the administrative positions of Chair of Chemistry, Associate Vice Chancellor, Acting Vice Chancellor, Associate Dean and Dean of the College of Letters and Science. In 1993 he became Dean of L & S and served in that role until his retirement from the university in 2004.
Marilyn Olmstead (12/08/1943 – 09/30/2020)
Ph.D. 1969 (Fenske)
Complete Obituary from The Sacramento Bee
Memorial Feature Story from UC Davis
Marilyn Olmstead was Professor Emerita of Chemistry at UC Davis, a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and the American Crystallographic Association, and an international leader in the crystallographic study of fullerenes, or “Buckyballs.” She published over 1,100 articles in scientific journals and had been cited more than 34,000 times.
Allan H. Olson (9/18/1938 – 1/8/2019)
1969 Ph.D. in Chemistry (Whitlock)
Complete Obituary at Tribute Archive – Allan received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Columbia University in 1963 before he moved to Madison to pursue his Ph.D. in chemistry under Howard Whitlock.

Class of 1970

Guilford Jones (11/24/1943 – 10/07/2019)
1970 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at The Michael J. Fox Foundation – Guilford was a professor of chemistry at Boston University from 1971 until his retirement in 2010. For nine years he served as chairman of the chemistry department.Guilford continued to enjoy his passions for financial planning, cars, poker and most of all, karaoke, song and dance.
Joseph Zimmer (09/03/1945 – 01/20/2020)
MS 1970 (Evans)
Complete Obituary from Daily Bulletin – Joe joined with several others at work who branched out on their own to start their own laboratory, Western Analytical Laboratories, in Chino, California.

Class of 1971

Karen Elizabeth Bartelt (05/05/1949 – 11/21/2018)
1971 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Mason Funeral Homes
During her professional career, Karen taught chemistry and other science-related courses at Eureka College, Illinois State University, Bradley University and Illinois Central College. She was an advocate for logic, reason and critical thinking. She loved to travel and photograph nature.
John Davidson (11/03/1948 – 03/13/2021)
1971 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Tribute Archive – John grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin, received a Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois. He worked for Burroughs/Unisys in Detroit, Mi, and Norristown, PA for 40 years in IT.
Michael Kluetz (06/20/1948 – 04/28/2021)
1971 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Brainard Funeral Home and Cremation Center – Mike and his young family moved to the western suburbs of Minneapolis where he started his 30-year career at Cargill, Inc. as a research scientist. He was highly respected by his colleagues for his work ethic and dedication to his research. In 2012, Mike bought a home in Merrill, WI, and began his retirement life.

Class of 1972

Hugo Kons (07/14/1938 – 10/13/2019)
BS (Woods)
Complete Obituary from Appleton Post-Crescent
After graduation, Hugo did research in chemistry that gave him four patents. He worked the majority of his career at Kimberly Clark Corp. Hugo enjoyed being with family, playing music with friends and performing on his guitar and banjo, and motorcycle riding.

Class of 1973

Michael Thomas Elliott (02/21/1951 – 01/12/2017)
1973 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from IndyStar
Mike loved to volunteer and bicycle.

Class of 1974

Bruce Ripley Clark (08/27/1941 – 03/18/2019)
1974 Ph.D. in Chemistry (Evans)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
After Bruce received his Masters from Stanford University, he volunteered with the Peace Corps in Malawi, Africa. Then, after graduating from UW–Madison, he worked in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as an Analytical Chemist. During his summers, he fulfilled his dream of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Class of 1975

Donald Graczyk (01/15/1947 – 01/09/2021)
1970 MS in Chemistry; 1975 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Echovita – Family and friends can light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Donald G. Graczyk to show support.

Class of 1976

Richard Herreid (11/21/1951 – 11/01/2019)
MS 1976 (O’Leary)
Complete Obituary from Star Tribune
Richard worked for Hormel R&D and soon became the Director of Applied Research where he created several patents. He worked until his retirement in 2011 before becoming immersed in traveling, hiking, and participating in book clubs.

Class of 1977

Braden Roach (05/25/1955 – 05/05/2021)
1977 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Ness-Sibley Funeral Home – He took that knowledge to Phyton Biotech, where he served as the Director of Chemistry. Brady was an instrumental part of creating the synthetic form of paclitaxel, a chemical that is derived from a rare and slow-growing Pacific Yew tree. Taxol is now a chemotherapy medication that is used for breast, ovarian, and lung cancer treatment.

Class of 1980

Barbara Brockhurst (10/02/1954 – 11/10/2020)
1980 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Legacy.com – She was employed for many years at Pfizer as a chemist, retiring in 2009.

Class of 1981

David Mehaffy (05/11/1954 – 05/09/2019)
1981 Ph.D. in ChemistryComplete Obituary at Teahen Funeral Home – David W. Mehaffy, 64 of Cedar Rapids, died Thursday, May 9, 2019 at his home. Services will be at a later date in Mediapolis.
G. Patrick Meier (04/18/1953-09/12/2019)
Ph.D. 1981 (Vedejs)
Complete Obituary from Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Pat was an organic chemist who earned a B.A. at UC-San Diego and his Ph.D. at UW-Madison. His final job was at chemistry at the Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC), but he worked at the University of Washington, Medical University of South Carolina, and Washington State University as a faculty member (with a research lab) before SFCC. He was an avid farmer who raised goats and sheep at his farm on the Palouse. He was generous with help and advice, supportive of his family in their career pursuits, and passionate about helping his students achieve their goals. Pat was famous for his unending and quirky sense of humor, which he retained until the end.
John Penn (5/11/2021)
1981 Ph.D in Chemistry
Complete Obituray at Legacy.com- John received his Bachelor of Science Degree from West Virginia Wesleyan in 1974, received his Ph.D. from the University of Madison- Wisconsin in 1981 and did his Post-Doctorate Fellowship at the University of Utah from 1981-1983. Following his education, he worked as an Organic Chemistry Professor at West Virginia University from 1983-2017; where he received WVU Outstanding Teacher Award in 1997.

Class of 1984

Craig Caufield (05/10/1956 – 04/01/2020)
Ph.D. 1984 (Zimmerman)
Complete Obituary from Cremation Society –Craig E. Caufield, 63, of Middleton, WI passed away at home on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The Cremation Society of Wisconsin, Altoona is assisting the family.

Class of 1985

Karen Linzmeier (12/12/1962 – 03/30/2020)
1985 BS in Chemistry (Harriman)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Karen taught chemistry at Wheeling High School in the Chicago suburbs. She was an avid Wisconsin Badgers sports fan, especially basketball and football.
Roger Hansen (05/24/1948 – 05/09/2021)
1985 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at The Chronotype – He taught as a teachers assistant and then became a Professor in Chemistry at UW Madison. He volunteered at the Pioneer Village Museum Barron County Historical Society. Roger built a 4 meter monochromator at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Stoughton, WI.
Daniel Turluck (03/08/1958 – 06/26/2017)
1985 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Daniel worked as a Pharmaceutical Research Chemist, most recently at MPI Research, Inc. of Mattawan, MI. He loved home improvement, sports, and craft beer.

Class of 1988

George William Headley (08/08/1963 – 11/20/2017)
1988 MS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Madison.com
George was a software engineer, businessman, and conservationist who was deeply loved by his family and friends.
Marietta Haeg Schwartz (09/22/1961 – 09/06/2017)
1988 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from the Boston Globe
Marietta worked at the University of Massachusetts-Boston as an assistant professor in the chemistry department, director of the Student Services Center, as associate dean in the College of Science and Math, and as co-director of the UTeach Program. She loved chemistry and believed in supporting women in learning the discipline. She was an avid reader, fan of sports, and an active volunteer who cared about the well-being of others.

Class of 1990

John Bray (09/25/1934 – 10/07/2020)
MAJ 1990, B.S. Applied Math & Engineering Physics 1962, BS Electrical Engineering 1967
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
He was employed as an engineer with Univac Sperry Rand, served aboard the U.S. Geophysical Polar Center ship and worked for the UW–Madison, retiring as a chemist from the Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory. He was an avid reader and researcher of a myriad of ideas or theories in science and history.
Richard Crane (05/01/1958 – 06/02/2019)
1989 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obitaury at Knox News – He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Iowa State University in 1980 and a Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989. Richard was a devoted husband, loving brother, and dear friend. He loved his wife and family, science, nature, and people.
Jenifer Heydinger Galante (1963 – 08/07/2019)
1990 Ph.D. in Chemistry (Zimmerman)
Complete Obituary from Oakland Memorial Home
Jenifer was employed as a senior research manager at Stepan Company in Maywood, NJ for 26 years. She is the author of numerous patents, publications, presentations and book chapters in the field of food supplement chemistry.

Class of 1992

Madonna Lindauer (05/21/1939 – 01/17/2021)
1992 BA in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Madison.com – She attended school and earned her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Class of 1995

Daniel Kowalski (01/29/1964 – 04/29/2021)
1995 Ph.D. in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at The Advocate – He published several papers in various scientific journals. Daniel was an avid fan of science fiction books and movies and was currently writing a science fiction novel with one of his sisters. Daniel was a long-time student of Japanese language and culture and was passionate about Anime and Manga.

Class of 1996

Alex John Blohowiak (07/24/1973 – 01/17/2020)
1996 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary from Madison.com
Alex worked for the Madison Metropolitan School District. He loved coaching his sons and other children in youth baseball and basketball programs.
Norma Weiler (04/15/1942 – 11/03/2019)
1996 BS in Chemistry
Complete Obituary at Obitio Online Obituaries- Education was very important to Norma, so she later she went back to college, where she received a bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a Master’s in Chemistry from the University of New Mexico, Norma also had an associate degree in Electronics.

Class of 1997

Dafni Amirsakis (07/19/72 – 05/24/2016)
Complete Obituary from UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
1997 BS in Chemistry and Psychology
Dafni was a staff scientist in the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who researched supramolecular chemistry. She was an avid exerciser and a musician, who played several instruments and created four albums.

Class of 2009

Patrick R. Menden (03/17/1985 – 10/24/2017)
2009 BS in Chemistry; 2009 BS in Biochemistry; 2013 MS in Cancer Biology
Complete Obituary from the Herald Times Reporter
Patrick worked in cancer research and at the Interstate Blood Bank. He served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He loved to cook, play games, and spend time with his wife, Sara.

Class of 2016

Joseph Edward “Joe” Kraft (05/19/1995 – 07/13/2019)
2016 BS in Chemistry; 2016 BS in Biological Sciences
Complete Obituary from Schmidt & Bartelt
Joe loved being with family and friends, and his interests included rock climbing, snowboarding, waterskiing and more.

Department of Chemistry Faculty & Staff

Paul Bender (11/20/1917-12/30/2004)
1939 Yale College
Complete obituary from Newspapers
Starting in the 1950s, Paul spent a significant portion of his career, making major instrumentation usable by all chemists. He strongly believed in the importance of shared instrumentation and advocated for it by establishing classes at UW-Madison to teach students how to use various instruments. Paul’s vision is succeeded by the Paul Bender Chemistry Instrumentation Center at UW-Madison and by a scholarship in his name. He and his wife, Margaret, funded the Margaret McLean Bender Scholarship Fund. A scholarship that provides financial support to outstanding women studying Chemistry.
Larry Dahl (06/02/1929-03/20/2021)
Memorial on chem.wisc.edu
Complete Obituary from C&EN
Prof. Dahl began his independent career as an Instructor in the UW-Madison Department of Chemistry in September 1957, and spent 49 years as a faculty member, beginning as an Assistant Professor in July 1959. After promotion to Associate Professor in 1963 and Professor in 1964, he became the R. E. Rundle Professor of Chemistry 1978 and in 1991 he was named a Hilldale Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Larry Haskin (08/17/1934-03/23/2005)
BS in chemistry from Baker University, 1960 Ph.D. from University of Kansas.
Complete obituary from Washington University in St. Louis
Larry began his academic career at UW-Madison in 1960, when he was appointed instructor in the Department of Chemistry. He was a founder of the field of rare earth element (REE) geochemistry. His lab in Wisconsin provided significant preliminary NAA data on REE concentrations in basalts, sediments, meteorites, and tektites. In the late 1960’s he became one of the first principal investigators to receive funding from NASA for his forthcoming study of Moon samples from the Apollo missions. In 1976 he joined Washington University in Saint Louis as a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Professor of Chemistry, and a fellow of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences.
Dick Hugo (-08/05/2004)
Dick joined UW-Madison in 1957 and mostly worked in the Department of Chemistry. He was a Lab Technician staffing the research stockroom when he retired.
Hans Reich (05/06/1943 – 05/01/2020)
Complete Obituary at Cress Funeral and Cremation Services – In 1970, Hans joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, establishing what soon became an internationally recognized research program in physical-organic chemistry. Fittingly, Hans received the James Flack Norris Award in Physical-Organic Chemistry from the American Chemical Society in 2012. He gave generously of his time, serving as chair of the organic chemistry division and associate chair of the chemistry department.
Russ Riley (01/19/1918-02/07/2005)
Complete obituary from Madison Central High School
Russ served during World War II as a Merchant Marine. He worked at UW-Madison’s Department of Chemistry as an instrument machinist.
Irving Shain (03/06/2018)
1952 Joined UW-Madison Department of Chemistry as faculty
1967 Chair Department of Chemistry
1970 Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UW-Madison
1977 Chancellor of UW-Madison
1987 Retired from UW-Madison
Complete Obituary from the Cress Funeral Service
Irving earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Washington. He was an avid researcher and understood the importance of science. He was instrumental in the development of many programs at the university and the Department of Chemistry. The Department of Chemistry’s 2006 building addition bears his name, as does an endowed chair, offered by family and friends in 2016. He also worked as vice president of Research and Development and a member of the Board of Directors for Olin Corporation. He loved to read, travel and enjoy classical music. Memorial donations can be made to the University of Wisconsin Foundation 1848 University Avenue, Madison WI 53726, or online here, to support the Irv Shain Memorial Fund for Chemistry. All donations support the new Chemistry Department Building Fund, a project that is critical for UW-Madison.

Department of Chemistry Friends

Edward Allen (07/07/2020)
Andrew “Andy” Beal (01/20/1958-09/25/2021)
Complete Obituary from Madison.com
During his career at UW-Madison, Andy managed the electronics shop for the chemistry department for many years, providing electronics support for the department’s research, teaching, and service missions. He enjoyed golfing, gardening, microbreweries, bicycling and gatherings with his family.
Lila Berge (12/14/1932-04/29/2020)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Harold F. Deutsch (09/02/1918 – 06/12/2017)
Complete Obituary from Madison.com
Harold, a supporter and friend of the Department of Chemistry, received his bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison in bacteriology in 1940 and his Ph.D. from the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health in 1944 in physiology and physiological chemistry. He studied blood plasma proteins with the Office of Naval Research, was a professor at the UW-Madison Medical School and worked in the Department of Physiological Chemistry (now Molecular Biology).
Tom Foseid (02/28/2021)
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Tom served as former building manager for the Department of Chemistry.
Margret (Maggie) J. Geselbracht (09/11/2014)
UW-Madison Department of Chemistry Postdoc until 1992
Complete Obituary from Reed College
Maggie attended Notre Dame and Berkeley, worked as a postdoc in the Department of Chemistry at UW–Madison and eventually landed at Reed College, where she was the first woman to receive tenure in her department. She published materials about science’s relation to the general chemistry curriculum and mentored many women in chemistry. She was the first professor at her college to receive an NSF career grant. She loved to mentor students, helping them present at ACS. She also enjoyed playing the piano, cooking, hiking with her dogs, and quilting.
Maryjane Hansen (02/08/1939-10/06/2019)
Complete Obituary from Bolger Funeral
Maryjane had a BS in education from UW-Madison.
Joshua Immke (12/10/1996-08/23/2020)
Ph.D. student
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Josh graduated magna cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan University with his bachelor’s in chemistry. While there he also received the distinguished award of Chemistry Student of the Year, an award presented by the chemistry faculty. Josh also was a member of IWU’s track team where he ran hurdles and received his varsity letters. Josh then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, Wisconsin, to pursue his doctorate in organic chemistry.
Ina Mirviss (05/07/1926 – 04/16/2020)
1949 MS in Agricultural Life Sciences, Biological Sciences, Biochemistry
Complete Obituary from Legacy.com
Read more about Ina Mirviss and her husband, Stanley, and their lasting impact on the UW–Madison community.
Hans Reich (05/06/1943 – 05/01/2020)
Emeritus Faculty
Complete Obituary from Cress Funeral Home
Department of Chemistry Memorial Page
Memorial Feature Story in 2020 Badger Chemist Magazine
In 1970, Hans joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, establishing what soon became an internationally recognized research program in physical-organic chemistry. Fittingly, Hans received the James Flack Norris Award in Physical-Organic Chemistry from the American Chemical Society in 2012. He gave generously of his time, serving as chair of the organic chemistry division and associate chair of the chemistry department. Drawing on materials developed for his exceptional graduate-level courses in organic chemistry, Hans curated a website of detailed, practical chemistry resources that is used by organic chemists around the world.
Alan G. Stull (01/26/1933 – 09/19/2019)
Complete Obituary from Leigh High Valley Live
Alan earned a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in physical education. He was a teacher of exercise physiology, statistics, and research methodology for almost four decades. He served as faculty and as an administrator at UW-Madison, among other schools. He published more articles and co-authored or edited books.
Bruce Swanson (09/23/1943 – 03/02/2018)
Complete Obituary from Channel 3000
Bruce attended a UW-Madison graduate program to become a high school chemistry teacher, then taught for decades. He loved sports, the daily crossword, and time with friends and family.