Robert J. Kallal

Robert J. Kallal, 89, formerly a DuPont chemical engineer, died on May 16 after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Born in Chesterfield, Ill., Kallal received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1943. He remained at the university until the end of World War II, developing munitions under the National Defense Research Committee program and completing a master’s degree in 1946. He earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949.

Kallal then began a 36-year career at DuPont, working first in Wilmington, Del., and later in Orange, Texas, and Charleston, W.Va. At the company, he researched and developed new processes for intermediates used in fiber manufacturing.

During his 48 years in Wilmington, Kallal was active in many community organizations including the Ministry of Caring and the Academy of Lifelong Learning (now the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at the University of Delaware. He was an emeritus member of ACS, which he joined in 1944.

He is survived by his wife, Catherine (Kit); five children, Virginia, Catherine Anne, John, Diane Osan, and Robert Michael; and six grandchildren.