Obituaries

Rodney D. Bush, 55, died on May 19. He was a principal scientist at Procter & Gamble and the head of medicinal chemistry at the Genome Research Institute of the University of Cincinnati.

Born in Denver, Bush earned a B.A. in chemistry from the University of Colorado in 1971 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Davis, in 1975.

After a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, he joined P&G. There he worked on everything from polymers for diapers to whiteners for toothpaste. Several of the new chemicals he discovered ended up in P&G products, including calcium chelators in detergents and some molecules that protect skin from sunlight damage.

Bush switched to the pharmaceutical division of P&G several years ago. In the past year, he collaborated with a company in England to develop and commercialize a specialized database for drug discovery related to a particular family of protein targets.

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and two sons. He joined ACS in 1974.

Harold L. Friedman, 82, emeritus professor of chemistry at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, died on Sept. 16 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.

He was born in New York City. In 1945, following military service in the Signal Corps and Office of Strategic Service during World War II, he graduated from the University of Chicago. In 1949, he earned his Ph.D. in chemistry there and took a faculty position at the University of Southern California. Ten years later, he became a staff member at the IBM Research Center in Yorktown, N.Y. In 1965, he joined the faculty at Stony Brook. He chaired the department of chemistry from 1975 to 1978, advanced to leading professor in 1990, and then became emeritus professor in 1994.

His research contributed theoretical methods for understanding the properties of liquid solutions, especially electrolytes. His work also addressed the problems of equilibrium and nonequilibrium solvation and energetics of electron-transfer reactions in solution. He served on the editorial boards of several publications, including the Journal of Physical Chemistry.

At an award ceremony in 1988, a colleague at Australian National University said of Friedman: There is no question that he is considered the leading electrolyte chemist and probably the leading solution chemist in the world. He also has the additional distinction, somewhat harder to achieve, of being one of the last of nature's gentlemen, generous to a fault, universally liked and admired, even loved, by students and colleagues.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Edith Hirsch; two daughters; three grandchildren; and a brother.

John C. Parmer, 77, chemist and entrepreneur, died on Sept. 12 at his home in Winnetka, Ill. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer exactly one year earlier.

In 1950, he earned a B.S. in chemistry from St. Mary's College, Winona, Minn. In 1955, in a Chicago loft, he and Jerome J. Cole created Cole-Parmer Instrument Co. to distribute and manufacture scientific equipment.

Cole-Parmer developed the Masterflex peristaltic pump. Many variations operate in laboratories and factories around the world. By the time the founders sold the business in 2001, the company had customers in 160 countries. Cole-Parmer continues to employ several hundred people in the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and the U.K.

In 1966, together with his wife and the Rev. Thomas Swade, Parmer founded the nonprofit organization Link Unlimited, which sponsors Chicago's inner-city students through college preparatory high schools. Since its first graduate in 1970, more than 1,200 Link alumni have attended top colleges and universities around the country.

For his service, Dominican University in Chicago will name its new science facility in Parmer's honor. He was also deeply involved with a local high school and hospital.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; five children; and 15 grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1951.

Vernon A. Stenger, an analytical chemist, died on June 21. He was 97.

Stenger was born in Minneapolis. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Denver and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Minnesota. In 1935, he joined Dow Chemical's Main Laboratory in Midland, Mich. He retired in 1973, but worked well into his nineties. Upon his retirement, Dow's Michigan Division established the Vernon A. Stenger Award in recognition of his achievement in analytical sciences.

His musical credentials included playing the oboe for 53 years in several ensembles and singing in the church choir. He was the founding member and first conductor of the original Midland Civic Orchestra in 1936. In 1998, at Stenger's 90th birthday celebration, the orchestra's board of managers surprised him by designating the principal oboe position as the Vernon A. Stenger Chair.

He was preceded in death in 1994 by his first wife of 61 years, Ruth Day. He is survived by his present wife, Eleanor; five children; 11 grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1929.

Edwin J. Vandenberg, 87, a polymer scientist and 2003 Priestley Medalist, died on June 11.

Born in Hawthorne, N.J., he graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1939. His colleagues noted his career as remarkably productive. In his 43 years at Hercules Inc., he made seminal contributions in olefin, epoxide, and oxetane polymerization. Some of his other work included the independent discovery of isotactic polypropylene, the use of hydrogen to control polyolefin molecular weight, and discovery of a family of Vandenberg catalysts for making elastomers from epoxides and oxetanes. He held 116 patents. After retiring from Hercules in 1982, he did research in chemistry and bioengineering at Arizona State University.

In 1979, Vandenburg chaired the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry. For his activity in the division, he was honored twice: In 1983, he received the division's Distinguished Service Award and in 1995, its Special Service Award. Among his numerous awards for polymer science and polymer chemistry, in 2003, Vandenburg received the Priestley Medal, the highest honor bestowed by ACS.

He was preceeded in death by his wife of 52 years, Mildred, and is survived by two children. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1938.

Obituaries are written by Rachel Petkewich. Obituary notices may be sent to r_petkewich@acs.org and should include detailed educational and professional history.