Eugene B. Reid

Eugene B. Reid, 98, a Chevron Research chemist, died of congestive heart failure at his home in Pleasant Hill, Calif., on May 10.

Born in Chico, Calif., Reid earned a B.S. degree in chemistry in 1935 at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1939 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he was also a teaching fellow and instructor.

During World War II, Reid was drafted into the Army and deployed to the Aleutian Islands, where he created a distillation system for Navy submarines, built an anemometer to test wind speed, made test tubes through glassblowing, and worked as a medic and mortuary assistant. Later, he served as an officer in the Chemical Warfare Service. He retired from the Army Reserves as a lieutenant colonel.

Reid spent his entire career with Chevron Research in Richmond, Calif. Initially, he focused his research on maximizing the utilization of refinery stocks, which led him to explore the use of computers in his computations. He introduced the first modern computer to Chevron, the Datatron 205, in 1955. He retired in 1975.

He was a 75-year, emeritus member of ACS.

A lifelong athlete, he was a skilled tennis player and enjoyed playing golf, softball, and basketball.

Reid’s wife of 61 years, Blanche, died in 2006. He is survived by his daughter, Gwen Lundmark; his son, Dennis; five grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters.