Louis F. Wirth Jr.

Louis F. Wirth Jr., 96, an expert in the field of ion-exchange resins, died on Oct. 10, 2013.

Born in Bay City, Mich., Wirth joined Dow Chemical in the mid-1930s, just after finishing high school. He held numerous laboratory and supervisory roles at the company and was involved in analytical chemistry, power plant functions, the application of Dow’s ion-exchange resins, and the design of Dow’s first silica removal demineralizer. He completed correspondence studies in chemical engineering in 1940.

After 16 years at Dow, Wirth moved to Nalco Chemical to continue his work with ion-exchange resins, which were marketed to equipment manufacturers for use in process industries such as paper manufacturing and oil refining.

Wirth returned to Dow in 1969 as a marketing manager, developing training and instructional literature that accompanied the distribution of ion-exchange resins used in the power industry. He retired from Dow in 1981 but continued as a consultant to the nuclear division of the Electric Power Research Institute for another 12 years.

Wirth was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1950. He later chaired the ACS Division of Water & Sewage Chemistry (now the Division of Environmental Chemistry) and received its Distinguished Service Award in 1975. He was elected as a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1977.

Wirth is survived by his wife of 77 years, Helen; daughter, Janis Bock; son, Donald; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.