Obituaries

Michael H. Baker, an industrial chemist and engineer, founder of Chem/Serv Inc., and former president of the Minnesota Academy of Science, died on March 22 at the age of 89.

He rose to prominence as a scientist and businessman as well as an active member of various professional societies and an editor of professional journals. In 1972 and 1973, he chaired the Minnesota chapters of the American Chemical Society and the Institute of Chemical Engineers. As a community leader, he gave popular science lectures, frequently patronized the arts, and worked to preserve the Yiddish language. He spent a lot of time traveling around the Midwest for business and was known for his familiarity with local restaurants. Something of a walking dining guide well before print copies were available, he could be counted on by colleagues and friends to suggest a good place to eat in a number of towns.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Margaret Zanger, and is survived by his second wife, Rosalyn Amdur; three children; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two of Rosalyn's children. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1944.

C. Jelleff Carr, a pharmacologist, educator, and toxicology consultant, died on Feb. 10, a few days short of his 95th ^birthday.

He was a professor at the University of Maryland, Purdue University, and Georgetown University, and chief of a pharmacology unit at the National Institute of Mental Health. He oversaw the medical and food provisions for the Army in Vietnam. The function and safety of early sugar substitutes were established through his pioneering efforts. Carr contributed to the development of modern anesthetics and cardiovascular medicines. A textbook he cowrote on pharmacology with John C. Krantz Jr. became the standard teaching material for physicians in many countries.

Carr dropped out of high school after his mother's death and landed an unskilled job at the University of Maryland. There, he met Krantz, who encouraged him to obtain his diploma and go on to college. In 1937, Carr graduated with a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Maryland.

Friends characterized his personality as naturally modest. Although he could address many subjects with profound competence, he was a man of few words.

He is survived by his wife, Sallie, and three children. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1939.

Jacques-Emile Dubois, an emeritus professor at the University of Paris 7, died in the city on April 2 at age 85. This French chemist was a pioneer in chemical information science.

He obtained a Ph.D. in 1947 in physical sciences at the University of Grenoble and began his scientific career as adviser to the cultural attaché of the French Embassy in London. His academic positions included reader in chemistry at the University of Grenoble, founding professor at the University of Saar's Trilingual Chemistry Institute, dean of the science faculty at the University of Saar, and chair of the physical and organic chemistry department at the University of Paris 7.

Dubois also participated in the French government as a scientific adviser in the Ministry of National Education, deputy director of higher education, and director of research for defense.

On the international scene, he chaired the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry's Interdivisional Committee on Machine Documentation in the Chemical Field and was on the IUPAC working party on nuclear magnetic resonance computerization. In the mid-1990s, he presided over the Committee on Data for Science & Technology of the International Council of Scientific Unions (now the International Council for Science).

His greatest contribution to chemical information science and technology was Documentation & Automated Research of Correlations (DARC), a topological chemical information system. DARC was conceived shortly after World War II when dramatically increasing amounts of published chemical information needed organization and led to other applications.

Among many other honors, Dubois received the Herman Skolnik Award in 1992 from the ACS Division of Chemical Information. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1973.

Christopher S. Foote, a physical organic chemist and expert in reactive oxygen species, died on June 13 from complications of brain cancer. He was 70.

He spent his entire 43-year career as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1964, he discovered an independent route to singlet oxygen. He explored its interactions with various chemicals, ranging from DNA and other biological molecules to nanomaterials. His research led to important new findings about why molecular oxygen is both essential to life processes and a major agent of biological damage.

Foote grew up in a family that valued intellectual rigor and music. Hailing from Connecticut, he graduated in 1957 from Yale University with a B.S. in chemistry. He spent the following year as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Göttingen, in Germany. He earned his doctorate from Harvard University in 1962 for work with solvolytic reactions, a major research interest at the time.

He coauthored the popular undergraduate organic textbook “Organic Chemistry” with William H. Brown. The book is now in its fourth edition, coauthored with Brown and Brent L. Iverson. For the past 10 years, Foote served as an editor for the journal Accounts of Chemical Research. In 1994, he received an ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award.

A concert, symposium, and dinner are scheduled at UCLA in his honor on Oct. 14 and 15. For more information, go to www.chem.ucla.edu/research/org/FOOTE-MEMORIAL/FooteSymposium.html.

He is survived by his wife, Judith L. Smith; two sons; and a grandson. Foote joined ACS in 1959.

Irving M. Klotz, a professor of chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology at Northwestern University, died on April 27 following a short illness. He was 89.

Klotz's research illuminated the chemistry and thermodynamics of ligand-receptor interactions, the structure and function of proteins, the chemical modifications of proteins, and the construction of polymers with enzymelike catalytic properties. The principles and techniques he developed form the foundation for rational molecular investigations of effector-receptor interactions throughout the basic life sciences.

Klotz received both his B.S. and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, in 1937 and 1940, respectively. He spent the rest of his career as a professor at Northwestern, researching and teaching topics ranging from general chemistry to thermodynamics and biophysical chemistry. Even after his retirement in 1986, he continued to publish papers on general subjects such as the German atomic bomb project or on questions about the history of science and scientific ethics.

He wrote books for a technical audience and for the general public. Dozens of audiences are familiar with his lecture “The Clouded Crystal Ball: How To Get Famous by Being Wrong in Science.” Klotz pounced on inaccuracies or obfuscations, but corrected them with a gentleman's tone. Among other prestigious honors, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1971.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Sue Hanlon, and three children. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1941.

Philip S. Magee Jr., a synthetic organic chemist, died on June 27 at age 79 after a brief battle with cancer.

His lifelong love of chemistry began at age 10, when he stocked a basement lab with supplies obtained from a local chemist. During World War II, he was an officer candidate at the University of Southern California and attended Navy Air Corps training in Corpus Christi, Texas. After the war, he returned to USC to earn a B.S. in chemistry in 1952. Three years later, he obtained a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles.

For 28 years, he worked as a research chemist at Standard Oil, Chevron Ortho Division. He developed acephate, one of the most potent and important commercial organophosphorus insecticides ever produced. In 1971, acephate was introduced as Orthene. He also developed methamidophos, which was marketed as Monitor in 1973. In addition, he held numerous other patents for phosphorus and sulfur insecticides and herbicides.

In 1968, Magee became involved in developing the new field of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). He helped found and in 1990 chaired the International QSAR Society. Some highlights of his career in structure-activity studies include developing the parameter-focusing approach in 1983, the factoring of lipophilicity and other physicochemical properties in 1990, and a hypermolecule approach to QSAR in 1997.

Throughout his career, Magee was also involved in teaching, including extension courses in organic chemistry and QSAR and adjunct professorships at Oregon State University College of Pharmacy and the University of California, San Francisco, Medical School.

After retiring from industry, in 1983 he formed BIOSAR Consulting, a research and educational consulting firm. Magee enjoyed several hobbies through his life, including weight lifting, fishing, camping, and motorcycling. He held black belts in two systems of jujitsu. He is survived by his wife, three children, 13 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. He joined ACS in 1950.

Eugene H. Man, a former professor and dean at the University of Miami, died on March 4 at age 81 from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Born in Pennsylvania, Man earned a chemistry degree from Oberlin College in 1948 and a doctorate in organic chemistry from Duke University in 1952. He spent the next 10 years at DuPont. From 1962 to 1978, Man served as the first dean of research and sponsored programs at the University of Miami. From 1971 to 1992, he was a professor of chemistry, marine, and atmospheric sciences and director of the school's Sea Grant program. He was also a pioneer in the field of d-aspartate amino acid in the brain, which led to better understanding of the deterioration of a brain affected by Alzheimer's disease. He also spent three years as president and CEO of the nonprofit Center for Health Technologies, an organization formed to stimulate the development of technology-based health industries in South Florida.

An avid long-distance bicyclist, he also swam in the university pool during his lunch break. He liked to read about World War II, in which he served.

Man contributed to his community. A member of the Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council, he organized a scientific network consisting of 4,000 members. He was a trustee of the Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium and was involved with protocols related to caring for the mentally ill.

He is survived by his wife, Pricilla Perry; four children; two stepchildren; and eight grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1949.

Sister Mary Andrew Matesich, former president of Ohio Dominican College (now Ohio Dominican University), died on June 15 at age 66 after an extended battle with breast cancer.

At age 18, Matesich joined the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs, which later became Ohio Dominican College. The Ohio native earned a B.A. in chemistry from the college and an M.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1965, she returned to Ohio Dominican. She served as a chemistry professor, as an academic dean, and for 23 years as the university president until her retirement in 2001.

During her time as president, she instituted several programs to bring educational opportunities to first-generation students, including working adults and soldiers returning from military service. In addition, Matesich worked diligently on behalf of the United Way of Ohio's Race Relations Committee and was active with the National Science Foundation.

She survived cancer at age 54. Diagnosed for the second time at age 59, Matesich volunteered to undergo experimental therapy. In a story about her motivations to accept the treatment, she told the New York Times, “I wouldn't be alive today if other women hadn't been in clinical trials.” Even as Matesich struggled with physical challenges toward the end of her life, her dedication remained. Along with staying active in her congregation, she sold her own handicrafts at St. Mary of the Springs. Proceeds were donated to help the people of El Salvador, where her sister is a missionary.

Obituaries are written by Rachel Petkewich. Obituary notices may be sent by e-mail to r_petkewich@acs.org and should include detailed educational and professional history.