We have learned of the deaths of the following members of the College of Chemistry community. Listed below are their names, UC Berkeley degree(s), and information about their academic and work history if known. We have also provided a link to an online obituary when available.
Professor Emeritus Andrew Streitwieser Jr. (02/23/22)
Professor Emeritus Andrew Streitwieser was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1927 and studied at Columbia College and Columbia University where he earned his Ph.D. in 1952. After working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Prof. Streitwieser moved to Berkeley as a professor of chemistry in 1952 retiring from the College of Chemistry in 1993. He remained active in the department post-retirement.
He was a major figure in physical and organic chemistry. According to Robert Bergman, the Gerald E. K. Branch distinguished professor emeritus of chemistry, Prof. Streitwieser was one of the earliest contributors to applying physical techniques to organic chemistry. A notable area of study of his involved the inspection of organic compound intermediates called carbocations, or "short-lived" compounds that would form because of organic reactions.
"He was working at a time when most organic chemists were focused almost exclusively on organic compounds," Bergman said. "There was little attention given by organic chemists to compounds with metals. Andy bridged that gap in a very interesting way."
He was a "pioneer" in the study of molecular orbital theory. In collaboration with colleagues, he authored Molecular Orbital Theory for Organic Chemists, which Bergman regarded as one of the "most important and groundbreaking" textbooks in organic chemistry.
Read about Professor Streitwieser’s career here.
Professor Phillip Lewis Geissler (Ph.D. '00, Chem) (07/17/22)
Phillip Lewis Geissler, the Aldo De Benedictis Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley and a renowned physical chemist, passed away on July 17, 2022. He was 48 years old. He was preceded in death by his father, Fredrick Dietzmann Geissler. He is survived by his partner, Lauren Tracey Nakashima; his life partner, Rebecca Carol Overacre; his mother, Beverly Taylor Geissler; his brother, Fredrick Dietzmann "Fritz" Geissler Jr. (Colleen Manion); and his nephews, Samuel Patrick, Carter Hughes and Charles Taylor Geissler.
Phillip was born March 27, 1974 in Ithaca, New York and was raised in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia. He was a graduate of Douglas Freeman High School and was awarded the prestigious Ethyl Scholarship, attending Cornell University from 1992 to 1996 and graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry. He received his Masters degree and PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and was a post-doctoral scholar at Harvard University and a science fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the faculty of UC Berkeley in 2003 and was the Aldo DeBenedictis Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.
Phill was an accomplished and creative researcher and demonstrated a remarkable talent for classroom instruction. He instilled the wonder of physical chemistry in his students and famously integrated music in the classroom by playing guitar and singing educational songs. In 2011, Phill received the Distinguished Teaching Award at UC Berkeley.
Read about Professor Geissler's career here.
Professor Emeritus John E. Hearst (10/27/22)
John was born in Vienna, Austria on July 2, 1935. He completed his B.E. in chemical engineering at Yale University in 1957 followed by a Ph.D. in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in 1961. From 1961-62, John was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College. He joined the faculty at UC Berkeley as an assistant professor in the fall of 1962. After rising through the ranks of the professoriate, John retired in December 1995.
John was a prominent figure in the field of psoralen interactions with nucleic acids, an area of research that he largely developed. One of his Ph.D. students, Thomas Cech, received the Nobel Prize in 1989 for his discovery that RNA can be catalytic. In the 1970's, John collaborated with his colleague, Henry Rapoport, on developing a photochemical method of inactivation of pathogens that became the basis for the work of HRI Research, HRI Associates, Advanced Genetics Research Institute, and Cerus Corporation. HRI Research and HRI Associates ("HRI" stands for Hearst, Rapoport, and Isaacs, the three co-founders of these companies) evolved into the Cerus Corporation in 1991.
Read about Professor Hearst's career here.
Professor Emeritus Kenneth Sauer (11/06/22)
Ken was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1931. He completed his A.B. degree in chemistry at Oberlin College in 1953. He then moved to Cambridge, MA to study gas-phase photochemistry with George Kistiakowsky at Harvard University. Ken obtained his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1958 and taught at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon until 1960. In 1960, Ken came to Berkeley to study photosynthesis as a postdoctoral fellow with Melvin Calvin. One year later, Calvin received the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his application of carbon-14 to his research on carbon dioxide assimilation in plants.
Ken joined the Berkeley faculty in the Department of Chemistry in 1963 and was promoted to full Professor in 1972. During his time on the faculty, Ken served as Vice Chair for Teaching in the Department of Chemistry and as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Chemistry. He retired in 2001 but continued to be active in research and service as professor emeritus.
In his early years, Ken's work concentrated on the two light reactions of photosynthesis, Photosystem I (PS I) and Photosystem II (PS II), and he later spent most of his career exploring the mysteries of the Z-scheme. Ken's research focused on a manganese-calcium oxygen cluster, known as the oxygen-evolving complex (the source of all the oxygen in the atmosphere), located in Photosystem II of plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. He developed sophisticated analytical devices to provide a more detailed picture of the nature of the components and their arrangement in the photosynthetic light reactions.
Read about Professor Sauer's career here.
Jane L. Scheiber Emeritus Asst. Dean (03/06/22)
As assistant dean, Jane was responsible for the development of a cohesive set of fundraising, alumni relations, and public affairs programs for the College. During her tenure (1986-2009), she championed development activities that brought in more than $165 million. Jane played a key fundraising role in the College’s most important capital projects, including Tan Kah Kee Hall, Pitzer Center, and the renovation of research laboratories in the upper Latimer and Lewis Halls. Jane created and oversaw the establishment of 19 endowed chairs, 39 fellowship funds, 12 scholarship funds, and 16 discretionary funds in the College. She also established the Industrial Friends Program, as well as a 25-member College Advisory Board, which has since been extremely beneficial for the College.
Jane had the opportunity to work with seven deans during her tenure: Jud King, Bob Connick, Brad Moore, Alex Bell, Clayton Heathcock, Charles Harris, and Rich Mathies. Jane was a truly talented and dedicated campus leader who provided 26 years of exceptional service to the UCB College of Chemistry, as well as 11 years to UC San Diego.
Read about Emeritus Asst. Dean Scheiber's career here.
Lecturer Emeritus J. Frank Valle-Riestra (2021)
J. Frank Valle-Riestra passed away in April of 2021. Frank was a first generation American born on November 12, 1924 in Oakland, California. He was the son of Carlos and Milena (Pudil) Valle-Riestra. Carlos was originally from Peru. Milena was from the former Czechoslovakia. Carlos immigrated to the United States in 1923.
As a result of an early recommendation from the department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Advisory Board, J. Frank Valle-Riestra of Dow Chemical in Pittsburg, CA was hired in 1975 as a Lecturer to give what became a graduate-level course in Process Economics and Project Evaluation, which he did until 1986. An outcome of that teaching and his Dow experience was his 1983 book on project evaluation. He was succeeded in that role in 1986 by Arnold Grossberg, former Vice President of Chevron Research, who evolved the subject matter over time to Chemical Engineering Management and continued through 2009, another remarkable run of 23 years, until he was age 86.
Read about Lecturer Emeritus J. Frank Valle-Riestra's career here.
Alumnus Robert Curl (Ph.D. '58 Chem) (07/03/22)
Internationally acclaimed scientist and nanotechnology pioneer Robert Curl, who was a Berkeley alum (Ph.D. 1958, Chemistry with Kenneth Pitzer), Nobel laureate in Chemistry (1996), and University Professor Emeritus and the Kenneth S. Pitzer-Schlumberger Professor Emeritus of Natural Sciences at Rice University passed away on July 3rd in Houston at the age of 88. He was on the faculty at Rice University for 64 years where he also received his undergraduate degree.
Rice’s President Reginald DesRoches said of Professor Curl, “Despite winning one of science’s top honors, Bob was a quiet hero who stayed true to his passions – scientific discovery, teaching, and the spirit of collegiality. During his 64 years as a faculty member at Rice, Bob mentored countless students and colleagues. His institutional presence on campus made a profound contribution to the university’s culture and character that will live on for years to come.”
Professor Curl’s expertise was in physical chemistry and the use of lasers and microwave radiation to determine the structure of molecules and how they react. Along with Rice’s Rick Smalley and Britain’s Harold Kroto, he shared the 1996 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of fullerenes. (Also known as carbon-60, or buckminsterfullerene, a closed, cage structure of 60 carbon atoms in the form of a soccer ball measuring about 1 billionth of a meter, or a nanometer, in diameter.
Read about Professor Curl's career here.
Alumna Vera Kistiakowsky (Ph.D. ’52, Chem) (12/11/21)
Vera Kistiakowsky was born in Princeton, NJ. She was a physicist who studied elementary particles and the light from distant stars. She was an early advocate for women in science and a peace activist who called for the abolition of nuclear weapons. She was a fiercely loving mother.
Vera earned a degree in chemistry from Mount Holyoke College and completed her PhD at the University of California at Berkeley in 1952, making the first measurements identifying three new isotopes of promethium at the Radiation Laboratory advised by Glenn Seaborg. At Berkeley she met fellow graduate student Gerhard E. Fischer to whom she was married for 15 years. From 1954-1959 she continued her research in nuclear physics at Columbia University, including work with Chien-Shiung Wu. She joined the faculty at Brandeis University in 1960, embarked on research in elementary particle physics, and moved to MIT in 1963.
Vera became the first woman appointed as a Professor of Physics at MIT in 1972. Her contributions to experimental particle physics ranged from the design and construction of detectors to their use measuring the properties of high energy sub-atomic particles. Later in her career Vera moved to observational astrophysics, studying the light emitted by supernovae and planetary nebulae. She was a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and held an honorary doctorate from Mount Holyoke.
Read about Professor Kistiakowsky's career here.
Alumnus Russ E. Davis (6/9/22)
Russ Davis (B.S. ’63 ChemE), a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego who invented some of the most transformational ocean-observing instrumentation in history, died June 9, 2022 at the age of 81.
A physical oceanographer and engineer, Davis’ development of the sounding oceanographic Lagrangian observer (SOLO) float freed ocean exploration from the limits of shipborne measurements that are inherently constrained by costs and the oceans’ own vastness, as well as the observational limits of satellites.
The float he developed in the 1990s became the backbone of an international network known as Argo, which the New York Times described in 2014 as “one of the scientific triumphs of the age.” The network now has roughly 4,000 floats distributed around the world, supported by contributions from 30 countries.
The floats measure temperature and salinity in the top 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) of the ocean. Being freely drifting, they also provide information on currents. These variables are often called the “vital signs'' of the ocean. Newer Argo generations include floats capable of sinking three times as deep as the originals and others that can measure a suite of biogeochemical conditions. A full complement of Argo floats could thus observe conditions in more than 90 percent of the volume of the oceans.
Richard Dunbar Abbott (11/05/21) B.S.' 52 ChemE
Richard was born in Berkeley, CA. He attended UC Berkeley, where he earned his B.S. degree in chemical engineering. He served in the U.S. army before obtaining a master's degree at John Hopkins. After graduation, he worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development which took him all around the world. Richard traveled to 86 countries and was fluent in four languages. He enjoyed spending time with his wife and four daughters and greatly appreciated the arts, including music and poetry.
Melvin Blair Armstrong (12/01/21) B.S '60 ChemE
Melvin was born in Idaho Falls, ID. Melvin attended BYU on a basketball scholarship. He went on to serve in the Northern States Mission, serving in Illinois & Wisconsin. Shortly after returning to BYU, Melvin transferred to UC Berkeley, where he completed his degree in chemical engineering. Melvin started his career at Proctor & Gamble. He then worked for Borden Chemical, Leslie Salt Co, AMAX Magnesium, and Hill Air Force Base. In 1989 Melvin decided to try something new and obtained his Professional Engineering license in Environmental Engineering. He started his own company Enviro-Risk. Apart from his extensive career, Melvin loved to sing at home and on stage. He enjoyed fishing, gardening, coaching his kids in athletics, and any activity that included his family and the outdoors.
John H. Birely (12/11/21) M.S. '63 Chem
John was born in White Plains, NY. He graduated from Yale and went on to UC Berkeley, earning a master's in physical science. John continued at Harvard, where he earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry, and then to Cambridge, where he was a postdoctoral fellow. In 1967 John began working as Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1969 John went to work for the Los Alamos National Lab devoting his professional life to science, nuclear nonproliferation, and international security.
At Los Alamos, John was Associate Director for Nuclear Weapons Technology from 1989-1991 and Deputy Laboratory Director from 1986-1989. He served as Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, from 1991-1992. The following year, John was the Acting Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy at the Pentagon. He was then Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Cooperative Threat Reduction from 1993 to 1994. Finally, he was Associate Vice President for Laboratory Management with the University of California Office of the President from 2003 to 2009.
James Edgar Buhn (12/19/21) B.S. '56 Chem
Jim was born in Vallejo, CA. He attended Vallejo Junior College and then transferred to UC Berkeley, where he earned his degree in chemistry. He also attained a general secondary degree focusing on science and mathematics. In 1966, he earned a master's degree in education from Berkeley. He started his career at Bret Harte in Oakland and subsequently at Oakland Tech, where he fell in love with teaching. In 1959 went on to Kenilworth Junior High in Petaluma, teaching math and science. Jim, along with other teachers, worked with the school board to create a pathway for students to challenge themselves in science and math, developing new teaching methods that emphasized inquiry-based learning and introduced complex concepts. Thanks to him, students could take higher level classes and participate in an academic merit program which created a curriculum for select students "who are able to carry advanced subjects at a sooner date." In addition to this, Jim was the president of his local branch of the California Teachers Association. He served as a union representative under the American Federation of Teachers. In 1967 he was transferred to Rancho Cotate high school, where he taught physics, chemistry, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus and was department chair for the science and math departments.
Douglas Roy Burns (04/20/22) B.S. '53 Chem
Doug was born in Sutter Creek, CA. He graduated from UC Berkley in 1953 with a degree in chemistry. He then began working in research for Hunter Douglas in Riverside. He remained in this career for 11 years, moving up in positions and ultimately becoming manager of chemical development before leaving to work at Whittaker Corporation. Here, he managed several coatings, plastics, and chemical divisions throughout the United States and managed International Business Development at the end of his career. Doug was an Emeritus Member of the American Chemical Society. He also belonged to several family history societies, including the Genealogy Society of Riverside. He was an avid sports fan and enjoyed visiting the coliseum with his daughter.
Dr. Charles Bushweller (11/12/21) Ph.D. ’66 Chem
Charles was born in Port Jervis, N.Y. He earned his bachelor's degree at Hamilton College in New York and later completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at UC Berkeley. He completed his degree in just three years, wanting to finish it as soon as possible for his two toddler sons. He also developed a new field of research that examined how molecules move. Charles started his career at Mobil Oil company. He then became a professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), spent a year at the University of Michigan, returned to WPI, and then went to work at the University of New York in Albany. Charles finished his career as chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Vermont, including a sabbatical year at the University of California-San Diego. Besides his extensive academic career, he enjoyed building everything, from a long-lasting marriage to an ice rink for his son. He was also an avid photographer of flowers and landscapes.
John Radford Froines (07/13/22) B.S. ’62 Chem
John was born in Oakland, Ca. After high school, he joined the national air guard, then went to Contra Costa Community College, where he earned an associate degree. John continued his studies at UC Berkeley, earning a B.S. degree. He received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Yale in the 1960s, in the laboratory of Professor Kenneth Wiberg. While pursuing his Ph.D., he became heavily involved in politics and served as a member of the Students for a Democratic Society. After graduating from Yale, John had accepted a teaching job at the University of Oregon but was joined the antiwar movement sweeping the country. He became famous for his involvement in the 1968 protest held outside the Democratic convention. He and six other co-demonstrators went on trial afterwards as part of “the Chicago 7”. After this rise to fame, John returned to academia. He was appointed Director of the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health program. John then moved to Washington, DC, where he served as head of toxic chemicals standards for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Here he worked to address the most significant worker health issues and developed a landmark standard to prevent workers from lead poisoning. John then served as the Deputy Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In 1980 he moved to UCLA, where he was a professor of toxicology for more than 30 years. He directed various occupational and environmental scientific centers and was a member of the California Air Resources Board (CARB). During his lifetime, he received numerous awards and recognition for his outstanding occupational and environmental health research and advocacy career.
Wayne E. Gargrave (10/16/21) MS' 67 ChemE
Wayne was born in Platteville, Il. He attended the University of Illinois and earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He moved to California to pursue a master's degree in Chemical engineering at UC Berkeley. After graduation, he worked at Standard Oil in the research department. Clarke continued his work when the company was acquired by British Petroleum. He retired at age 57. Throughout his life, he was known for his curiosity and passion for figuring out how things worked. He passed down his interests to his sons and enjoyed spending time with his family.
Earl H. Gilmore (06/08/20) Ph. D.'50 Chem
Earl was born in Turkey, TX. He obtained his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Texas. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy and attended Officer School in Philadelphia, where he graduated as Lieutenant Junior Grade. At that time, Earl worked as an engineer in the engine room of a landing ship during WWII. He went back to school and graduated from Texas Technological College with a Master's degree in Chemistry and then went on to UC Berkeley and received a Ph.D.in Physical Chemistry. His work career included China Lake Weapons Center in California and the Helium Research Center in Amarillo as well as teaching Astronomy, Chemistry, and Math at various colleges including Oklahoma A&M, Texas Tech University, Amarillo College, and West Texas A&M. He also enjoyed propagating fruit trees, astronomy, cancer research, and working with colleagues in wind research at the Alternative Energy Center, West Texas A&M, Canyon.
Sonja Krause Goodwin (12/01/21) Ph.D. ’58 Chem
Sonia was born in 1933 in St. Gallen, Switzerland. She left Europe as a child with her parents to escape Nazi Germany, emigrating to New York City. Her parents established a German-language bookstore. She was one of the first women to attend the Bronx High School of Science. She continued onto Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduating with a B.S. in 1954. She completed her Ph.D. in 1958 at UC Berkeley with the dissertation “Electric Birefringence Studies of Some Macromolecular Solutions Using Microsecond Transients”.
After working in industry at the Rohm & Haas Company, she spent several years in the mid-1960s in the Peace Corps heading the physics department at the University of Lagos in Nigeria, and later in Ethiopia. She returned to Rensselaer as a faculty member in physical chemistry in 1967 and was named a full professor in 1978. She retired in 2004. She was the author of several books.
Robert Edward Jones Jr. (07/12/22) Ph.D. ’57 Chem
Robert was born in Knoxville, TN. He did his undergraduate studies at Columbia University and then continued to UC Berkeley, where he earned his Ph.D. in chemistry. Bob joined IBM and worked in the East Fishkill and San Jose plants. He worked as an engineer in the magnetic recording sector and earned many patents and awards for his work. Additionally, Bob worked as a research professor at Carnegie Mellon University. In his free time, he enjoyed traveling and reading.
Dmitry Karshtedt (10/31/22) Ph.D. '05, Chem
Dmitry went to Harvard before continuing to UC Berkeley, where he earned his Ph.D. in chemistry. After graduation, he began working as a chemist for a chemist semiconductor startup for several years. Dmitry then entered law school, receiving his J.D. from Stanford Law. He began his career at Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto and clerked for Judge Kimberly Moore in the Federal court. Dimitry joined G.W. Law in 2015 where he practiced patent law. He received tenure in 2020. Throughout his career, he was named as inventor on 13 patents and was the first name on five scientific publications. He spoke at numerous conferences and presentations and always contributed to all workshops he attended. His students admired Dmitry and he made an impact on everyone he met.
Te Piao King (08/18/21) B.S. '49 Chem; M.S. '50 Chem
Te Piao King was born in Shanghai, China. Te earned his B.S and M.S degrees from UC Berkeley. He went on to the University of Michigan, earning his Ph.D. in 1953. That same year, he joined the faculty of Rockefeller University—then known as The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. He was named assistant professor in 1957 and was promoted to associate professor in 1963, just one year before discovering antigen E. He retired in 2000.
James Anthony Latty (11/25/21) Ph. D.'74 ChemE
James was born in Louis, MO. He attended Missouri University of Science and Technology earning a B.S. in chemistry. He went on to UC Berkeley, where he graduated with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. After graduation, James became a professional engineer which allowed him to work on all types of scientific, engineering, and business challenges. He worked in various industries, from water purification to consumer electronics. He loved to meet people and was drawn to research to develop new products and ideas. James had seven patents and traveled around the world for business endeavors. Despite his extensive professional career, his proudest accomplishment was the family he was able to create with his wife Cathy Anne Latty of 51 years.
Robert Michael Manyik (07/17/22) B.S. ’49 Chem
Robert was born in San Francisco CA. He attended UC Berkeley earning his B.S. in chemistry. He went on to Duke University completing his Ph.D. in organic chemistry with a minor in plant physiology. He started a successful career as a research scientist with the Union Carbide Corporation in South Charleston. Robert authored more than 20 scientific publications and had several U.S. patents. After retiring Robert remained active in the science community working as a consultant at Union Carbide and taught several chemistry courses at West Virginia State and Marshall University. Aside from his career, Robert enjoyed gardening, classical music, traveling, and spending time with his family.
David Winslow Moreland (12/28/21) Ph. D.'84 Chem
Dave was born in New London, CT. He attended undergraduate school at the University of New Hampshire earning the 1975 David H. Wilson award for graduating with the highest GPA in the Chemistry department. He went on to UC Berkeley, where he earned his Ph.D. in chemistry. Dave joined Parke-Davis in Ann Arbor, MI, to help start their computational chemistry program. He then went to work for 21 years at Pfizer's Ann Arbor facility and then with Discovery Services and Consulting (IDSC) in Chelsea to provide modeling support for client products. After the closure of IDSC, he established David W. Moreland LLC to continue his molecular modeling consulting for client drug discovery projects. While passionate about molecular modeling, Dave also enjoyed photography, reading, and baking bread. He also enjoyed hosting weekly movie nights and game nights.
Rudolf Oesterlin(link is external) (03/25/22) Ph.D. ’63, Chem
Rudolf was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He obtained a degree in chemistry from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. That same year he immigrated to the U.S. to begin working for California Spray Chemical Corp as a chemist. In the U.S., he decided to join the Army serving in Korea for a year. Rudolf then enrolled at UC Berkeley, earning his Ph.D. in 1963. He joined Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute in Rensselaer, N.Y., where he performed research and development work and became Head of the Pilot Plant. Kodak and Sanofi acquired Sterling during his time there. Rudolf retired from Sanofi in 1995 as a director of chemical development. Apart from his career, Rudolf had a passion for fitness and sports. He was a ski enthusiast, and after being unable to ski due to his age, he took up road biking, biking up to 50 miles a day.
Richard John Peters (05/3/22) B.S. '63, Chem
Richard was born in California. After graduating high school, Richard joined the army and served in the 101st Airborne. He was a decorated sharp shooter who, because of his skills, was posted as one of four snipers protecting the Little Rock Nine.
After his time in the army, he completed his degree in Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley. At that time the most monumental moment of his life occurred when he met the love his life, Diane Petersen who was also obtaining her degree in Chemistry. The two of them walked through life in a love affair that both inspired and embarrassed their children.
Richard had many important and interesting jobs, but he made a career as a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. However, his true happiness was spending his free time taking his family on wild and crazy adventures that included anything where if you didn’t die, you considered it a win. We rafted, hiked, hunted, fished, backpacked and spent a lot of time very, very lost. In his later years he expanded his journeys to travel the world to far and unknown places that most people couldn’t find on a map.
Paul. A Pertuzzeli (02/23/22) B.S. ’63 Chem
Paul was born in Oakland, CA. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in chemistry. Paul then served in the Navy during WWII before joining Chevron. Paul worked for Chevron for 43 years as a chemical engineer. Paul belonged to many social organizations outside of work and loved to dance. He enjoyed spending time with his wife and children and taking long walks.
George Arland Rammell (01/04/22) B.S. ’58 ChemE
George was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He attended UC Berkeley, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering and began working in the industry right after graduation. He went on to create his own company called Tans Dyn Control System and served as president throughout his career until retirement in 1993.
George had a passion for painting and winemaking. Several of his artworks were selected for display in venues, and he got the title of an award-winning home winemaker. He enjoyed golf and, most of all, spending time with family.
John M. Randall (10/19/21) B.S'59 ChemE; M.S. ’71, ChemE
John was born in Phoenix, AZ. After high school, he attended UC Berkeley, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's in chemical engineering. John then went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin graduating in 1964 John started his career as a research chemical engineer at USDA Western Regional Research Center. He worked there for 23 years before retiring in 1988. John’s other passion was collecting stamps. He was the editor of the 1998 and 2009 Catalog of U.S. Perfins, for which he received the Hallock Card award in 1999. In 2016 he received an award for his countless years in philatelic research and catalog work, along with having attended 50 consecutive years of precancel/perfin national conventions.
Mark Edward Rosen (11/29/21) Ph. D.'92 Chem
Mark was born in Grand Forks, ND. From a young age, he was a natural in academics and sports. He attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he double majored in chemistry and computer science. Mark went on to pursue his Ph.D. in chemistry at UC Berkeley. During his post-graduate work, he combined travel and learning with trips to Germany and Italy. His career began at Varian in Palo Alto, CA. From there, he went on to the University of Minnesota. He left to work at Physical Electronics, Teradyne, and Stratasys where he was Director of Engineering.
Francis ‘Fritz’ J. Schmitz (03/07/22) Ph.D. ’61 Chem
Fritz was born in Raymond, Iowa. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the Army and served in Germany for two years. He then attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where he earned his B.S. degree in chemistry. He continued on to UC Berkeley, earning his Ph.D. in chemistry. Fritz completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford. He then accepted a position at the University of Oklahoma, where he taught chemistry for almost 40 years and conducted research on marine organisms. Fritz received a George Lynn Cross research award for his research and received two patents for two compounds that he isolated. He loved to travel and talk about his studies abroad. Aside from his research, he also enjoyed playing tennis, serving his community as director of the Parkinson's Support group, and volunteering at Meals on wheels and AARP.
Charles Henry Sederholm (08/06/22) B.S. ’56 Chem
Charles (Chuck) was born in Cut Bank, MT. Chuck attended UC Berkeley, where he received his B.S. degree in chemistry. He then continued to MIT to pursue his Ph.D .in chemistry but returned to UC Berkeley to teach as an Assistant professor in the department of Chemistry. At Berkeley, he also collaborated in developing Berkeley’s electronic class registration system, which was done in collaboration with IBM. IBM then recruited Chuck to work as a computer engineer and manager. At IBM, Chuck was part of the leadership team which developed IBM’s personal computer and Prodigy, one of the first online portals to the world wide web and a provider of e-mail/messaging services. After 35 years, Chuck retired from IBM and started working at Lucent Technologies. He ended his career working as a Chemistry teacher at Florida State College. Chuck’s main priority was his family. He enjoyed camping, boating, fishing, and waterskiing with his wife and four children.
George V. Shalimoff (08/17/20) B.S.’52 Chem
George was born in San Francisco, CA. After his graduation, he began his career at the University of California Radiation Laboratory (now the Lawrence Berkeley Lab). George worked alongside many of the best scientists for 39 years and contributed to micro-chemistry and spectroscopy of Actinide and Rare Earth elements and compounds. He also published numerous scientific works in collaboration with other scientists worldwide. He had the opportunity of meeting two Nobel prize winners, Ernest Orlando Lawrence and Glen T. Seaborg during his career.
Douglass James Wilde (10/28/21) Ph. D.'60 ChemE
Douglass was born in Chicago, Il. He grew up in the hardscrabble area of Pittsburgh known as ‘Neville Island’. He attended public schools in Pittsburgh and went onto college at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (later Carnegie Mellon University), a school known equally for programs in engineering and, perhaps incongruously, theater. Wilde took advantage of both, earning his B.S. in chemical engineering in 1948 while participating in school productions that bred a lifelong love of live performance that he nurtured during his tenure at Stanford and in local community productions throughout his life.
After Carnegie, he worked in industry at Pittsburgh Coke and Chemical, followed by a stint in the Navy. He received his master's degree in 1956 from the University of Washington and worked during the summers at the Union Oil Company in Rodeo, CA. He then moved to the Bay Area for full-time work with Union Oil. He earned his doctorate from UC Berkeley in 1960 in chemical engineering.
After earning his Ph.D., Douglass secured a Fulbright Professorship to teach chemical engineering at the École National Supérieure des Industries Chimiques in Nancy, France, where he quickly learned the language and was proud to deliver his lectures in French. Returning to the States, Wilde taught at the University of Texas, Austin, and Yale University before settling in 1963 at Stanford University.
Paul F. Zittel (11/29/21) Ph.D. ’72 Chem
Paul was born in Saginaw, MI. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. He worked in the aerospace industry for 45 years as a scientist. He was an avid reader, outdoor adventurer, and baseball and basketball enthusiast. He enjoyed spending time with his family.