Obituaries

Cedric L. Chernick, 77, a retired research administrator, died on April 2 in Chicago.

Born in Manchester, England, Chernick studied chemistry at Manchester University, receiving a B.Sc., an M.Sc., and a Ph.D.

In 1959, Chernick joined the staff of the Chemistry Division of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), becoming part of the group that heated xenon and fluorine to make the first binary compounds of an inert gas. He later became assistant to the director of the Argonne Chemistry Division and assistant to the director of ANL.

Chernick accepted an appointment in 1969 as assistant vice president of the University of Chicago. He later became vice president for sponsored programs.

Chernick left the university in 1980, when the trustees of the estates of Mr. and Mrs. John G. Searle recruited him to develop a chemical, biomedical, and medical research program; he helped to start the Searle Scholars Program.

In 1992, the Society of Research Administrators presented Chernick with its first Distinguished Contributions to Research Administration Award. He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1960.

Chernick is survived by his wife, Judy; daughters, Devra, Sarah Buerger, and Debby Brauer; and four grandchildren.

John Fish, 70, died on Oct. 9, 2008, after a 15-year-long battle with multiple myeloma.

Born in Chicago, Fish received a B.S. degree in both chemistry and physics from Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo, in 1962 and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from the University of Cincinnati in 1968.

Fish joined Texas Instruments in 1966, first conducting research in organosilicon chemistry. Later, he started the company's lab for polymer analysis and characterization before working in recruiting. He retired from the company in 1994 because of his illness, but worked as industrial practicum coordinator for the University of Texas, Dallas. He was a member of ACS, joining in 1964.

Fish is survived by his wife of 47 years, Shirley; four children; and nine grandchildren.

Harold M. (Hal) Manasevit, 80, a pioneer in chemical-vapor-deposition technology, died on March 25, 2008.

Manasevit earned a B.S. degree from Ohio University in 1950, an M.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1951, and a Ph.D. from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1959, all in chemistry.

From 1960 to 1983, he worked for North American Aviation, which became part of Rockwell International. He then worked until 1991 for the TRW Technology Research Center, which is now part of Northrop Grumman.

Manasevit's work focused on the chemical vapor deposition of electronic materials. In 1963, he was the first to demonstrate epitaxial growth of silicon on sapphire, which was further developed for radiation-hardened-electronics applications, including a still-functioning microprocessor on the Voyager 1 spacecraft, which was launched in 1977.

In 1968, Manasevit was the first to describe the growth of semiconductors by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), including the heteroepitaxial growth of many of the group 13–15 compound semiconductors on various insulating oxide substrates such as Al₂O₃, BeO, and spinels. MOCVD has become the standard manufacturing technology for many group 13–15 applications, including light-emitting diodes, injection lasers, and solar cells.

Manasevit held 16 patents and received the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers' Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award in 1985. He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1953.

He is survived by his daughters, Beryl Schlesenberg and Sharon Strauss; son, Steve; and three granddaughters. He was predeceased by his wife, Cookie.

James D. McGinness, 78, a retired paint and coatings chemist, died on March 29, from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

McGinness grew up in Evansville, Ind., earning a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Evansville. Later, he completed coursework toward a master's degree at Loyola University, in Chicago.

For 25 years, he worked for Sherwin-Williams in Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit, serving primarily in quality and analytical roles. He then returned to Evansville and worked for 22 years for Red Spot Paint & Varnish, where he formulated polyurethane coatings for automotive plastics and managed its exterior automotive department. Before retiring, he formed the company's Analytical Sciences Laboratory and consulted on coating defect problems for automotive plastic finishers. During his career he published several papers on spectroscopy and coatings. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1955.

McGinness is survived by his wife of 34 years, Mary; five children; three stepchildren; 18 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Jerome S. (Jerry) Schaul Jr., 93, a retired plastics engineer, died on Nov. 30, 2008.

Schaul attended Columbia University, earning a B.A. in 1935, a B.S. in 1936, and a Ch.E. in 1937. He earned an M.S. in chemical engineering in 1968 from Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, N.J.

After World War II, Schaul worked for Western Electric, where he produced the first experimental length of polyethylene-covered telephone cable. He subsequently developed and manufactured early examples of glass-reinforced products and fluorocarbon extrusions before concentrating on polyvinyl chloride pipe.

Later, Schaul worked for Alpha Plastics and then for Lock Joint Pipe.

In 1966, he joined Celanese, where he received a patent for his pioneering work in creating polyethylene terephthalate bottles. When he retired in 1980, he was working for Celanese in Summit, N.J.

For more than 20 years, Schaul was an instructor for the Center for Professional Advancement. He was a volunteer for the International Executive Service Corps in Jamaica and Costa Rica. He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1937.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Ruth; sons, Dan and Michael; and a grandson.