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Environment

Obituaries

by Rachel Petkewich
September 25, 2006 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 84, Issue 39

Robert T. Bogenrief, 91, a former area production manager at Rohm and Haas, died on May 1.

He earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1938. After 32 years of service in the Philadelphia area, he retired in 1979 but helped with United Way fundraising efforts for Rohm and Haas. Bogenrief recently volunteered at his church and local library. He enjoyed travel, golf, and gardening.

Anna, his wife of 56 years, died in 2000. He is survived by three children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1938.

Farrington
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Paul S. Farrington, 87, an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, died on May 20.

Born in Indianapolis, he attended California Institute of Technology, where he earned a B.S. in chemistry, M.S. degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering, and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry.

During World War II, Farrington participated in a chemical warfare project in the Florida Everglades. He began his teaching career at UCLA in 1950. Colleagues say his research on ion-exchange and gas chromatography contributed to the foundation of some technologies that are widely used today.

He was also strongly committed to improving the teaching of chemistry in high schools and community colleges. In 1956, he established a summer refresher chemistry course for high school teachers. From 1962 until shortly before his retirement in 1989, Farrington served as an associate dean of the College of Letters & Science at Caltech, where he was responsible for dealing with students who had academic problems.

Colleagues remember Farrington as an excellent mentor and a patient teacher in his professional and personal life. He enjoyed music and had a theatrical streak as well as a contagious sense of humor.

Farrington was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara, in 1976. He is survived by his second wife, Dana; five children; and six grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1950.

Russell B. Lisle Jr., 85, a former researcher at Dow Chemical Co., died on Aug. 23.

He started working for Dow in 1948 and retired in 1982. He was primarily involved with research, pilot plants, and production of styrene butadience latex, and he worked at sites around the world during his tenure.

Born in Ludlow, Mass., Lisle received both B.S. and M.S. degrees in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire and did additional graduate work at Columbia University. During World War II, he served as aerology officer in the Naval Air Force. He studied meteorology at the University of Chicago and Scripps Institute of Oceanography before being stationed in the South Pacific.

Colleagues noted his sense of humor. He also enjoyed home repair and a number of sports, as well as piloting small planes and hiking the Grand Canyon.

Lisle is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jeanne; two children; a granddaughter; two siblings; and a great-granddaughter. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1950.

Chester T. O'Konski, 85, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, died on Aug 2.

In his 43 years on the faculty, he used many different methods to study large molecules. Colleagues say he was among the first chemists to study nucleic acids and proteins with physical chemistry methods, yielding information about size, structure, and optical and physical properties. He was also a pioneer in using nuclear quadrupole spectroscopy and worked out theoretical calculations on chemical bonding.

Born on a dairy farm, O'Konski earned a B.S. in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1942. He then worked on a top-secret team that developed gas mask technology and, according to his son, was instrumental in designing one of the first aerosol particle counters.

He received an M.S. in physical chemistry from Northwestern University in 1946. Two years later-a year before he received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry-he was hired as an instructor at UC Berkeley. He rose through the ranks and retired in 1991.

O'Konski is survived by four children and five grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1950.

Iris M. Ovshinsky, 79, cofounder of Energy Conversion Devices, died on Aug. 16.

She and her husband, Stan, founded their company in 1960 to use science and technology to solve serious societal problems.

In 2000, Iris and Stan were named ACS Heroes of Chemistry as "chemical innovators whose industrial work in chemistry or chemical engineering has made significant and lasting contributions to global human welfare." Her family remembers how Iris found great happiness in creating new industries that resulted in highvalue jobs.

She held a B.A. in zoology from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, an M.S. in biology from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Boston University.

She is survived by Stan, five children, and four grandchildren.

Scarborough
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Robert M. Scarborough Jr., senior vice president of medicinal chemistry at Portola Pharmaceuticals in San Francisco, died on June 25 from complications of a brain tumor. He was 52.

Scarborough is credited with discovering two cardiovascular drugs, nesiritide and eptifibatide. He and his team also worked on three additional drugs, a leukemia therapy, an anticoagulant, and an antithrombotic, which are all in clinical trials at various stages of development. He worked for several companies and garnered more than 100 U.S. patents. In 2003, he cofounded Portola Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on treating cardiovascular disease. Colleagues praised Scarborough's ability to deconstruct complex problems as well as his sense of humor, wit, and loyalty.

Born near Philadelphia, Scarborough received a B.S. at the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science in 1975. He finished his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in 1979 and completed postdoctoral study at the University of California, Berkeley.

He had a passion for golf and long-standing interests in fine wines, cars, and Sierra adventures.

Scarborough is survived by his wife of 12 years, Carroll; a young son; parents; and two sisters. He joined ACS in 1996. The Robert M. Scarborough Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry Award will be established in his memory.

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