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Obituaries

by Susan J. Ainsworth
June 18, 2007 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 85, Issue 25

Lawrence H. Brown, 83, a retired Dow Corning chemist, died on May 30, at his home in Midland, Mich.

Brown served in the 381st Amphibious Combat Regiment of the 96th Infantry Division in the Philippines and on Okinawa, in Japan. Discharged in January 1946 as sergeant and machine gun squad leader, he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor Device and Citation, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantry Badge, among other recognitions.

After the war, Brown earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., and a master's in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois.

In 1951, he moved to Midland and began work at Dow Corning. Brown conducted research there on silicone-modified organic resins and coatings intermediates until his retirement in 1982 as a senior project chemist. He was issued at least 11 U.S. and international patents during his career. After retirement, he worked as a regulatory compliance consultant to Dow Corning for 10 years.

Brown was an active member of First Baptist Church as well as many organizations. His affiliations included Sigma Xi, the scientific research society; American Scientific Affiliation; American Meteorological Society; Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen; Midland Jaycees; and several other local charitable and cultural societies. He was an avid collector and computer enthusiast.

Brown is survived by his wife, A. Marivene; three children, Matthew Brown, Claudia Brown, and Laura McGuire; and three grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1950.

Gilbert
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Theodore W. Gilbert Jr., 77, a retired University of Cincinnati analytical chemistry professor, died on March 8.

Born in Attleboro, Mass., Gilbert received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951 and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1956. He then spent a year at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, followed by three years as an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1960, Gilbert joined the faculty of the University of Cincinnati as an assistant professor of analytical chemistry in the chemical engineering department, where he taught quantitative analysis to engineering students enrolled in the College of Engineering's co-op program. He moved to the chemistry department as an associate professor in 1963 and was promoted to full professor in 1979. Gilbert remained at the University of Cincinnati until his retirement to Nantucket, Mass., in 1987.

Originally a classical "wet" analytical chemist, Gilbert largely focused on solvent extraction and trace analysis in his early work. However, he became increasingly interested in chromatography in the early 1970s. He built the first gas chromatograph on the university's campus with his own funds.

Gilbert is survived by his wife, Peggy. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1952.

Edward R. Husser, 54, a Dow Chemical chemist, died on May 8.

Born in Spring Valley, Ill., Husser graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He started his career at Dow Chemical in Midland, Mich., in 1974. After assignments involving analytical chemistry, ion-exchange research, and latex technical service and development, he transferred to Dalton, Ga., in 1983 to become a leader for carpet products within Dow's latex business.

Returning to Midland in 1988, Husser joined the company's specialty latex business. In 2002, he was transferred to Raleigh, N.C., to help start the Dow Reichhold Specialty Latex joint venture and worked there for the last five years.

Husser is survived by his wife, Anne; a daughter, Mary Ellis Husser; his mother; a sister; and several nieces and nephews.

Elizabeth Lamphere, 90, a retired high school chemistry teacher and textbook coauthor, died on March 27, in Norwich, N.Y.

Lamphere received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and education in 1938 from Hartwick College, located in her hometown of Oneonta, N.Y. After teaching at a number of high schools in New York state, she earned a master's degree from New York University in 1947.

In addition to teaching, Lamphere helped the New York State Education Department write the Chemistry Regents exams and traveled around the U.S. supporting workshops and conferences aimed at improving methods for teaching science.

She received many awards for her success as a high school chemistry teacher and for her contributions to the advancement of science education, including the James Bryant Conant Award, which she received from ACS in 1969.

Later, Lamphere coauthored "Action Chemistry," a textbook used in the U.S. and Western Europe. In 1997, Hartwick College granted Lamphere an honorary doctorate in science for her work in the field of science education.

In Norwich, she was an active member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, where she developed a church library and chaired a program to provide meals to the needy.

Lamphere is survived by a first cousin, Ted Lindsley, and many second cousins. An emeritus member, she joined ACS in 1947.

Frank Sipos, 80, a retired Bristol-Myers Squibb peptide chemist, died on March 8.

Born in Lucenec, Czechoslovakia, he was drafted into the military at age 18. A short time later, his mother and younger sister were taken by the Nazis and never heard from again.

Later, he attended Charles University in Prague, where he received two doctorates in organic chemistry. In 1965, he, his first wife, Magda, and their two children fled the Communist regime. Arriving in the U.S., he accepted a position with the former Norwich Pharmacal, learning English from his children as they did their homework each night. He then went on to work for 23 years at Squibb (which merged in 1989 with Bristol-Myers), until his retirement in 1997.

Sipos was instrumental in the creation of the Sincalide diagnostic aid, which is used to test gallbladder and pancreas function. He also helped to develop the process chemistry for manufacture of both Captopril, an antihypertensive agent that was Squibb's first blockbuster drug, and Amphotericin B, a polyene antifungal drug.

He was well-versed in art, music, and science. An accomplished amateur photographer, his works have won many awards and hang in the homes of family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Gloria; two daughters, Eva Sipos and Suzanne Patton; five stepchildren; three grandchildren; and six step-grandchildren. He joined ACS in 1999.

Obituaries are written by Susan J. Ainsworth. Obituary notices may be sent to s_ainsworth@acs.org and should include detailed educational and professional history.

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