Obituaries

Denis Forster, 65, a retired scientist and business executive, died of cancer on May 11.

He was born in Hebburn, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. He received a B.S. and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Imperial College, in London, and moved to the U.S. for a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University.

Forster then began a 31-year career at Monsanto in St. Louis. He developed improved catalytic processes for Monsanto's key chemicals, and he helped develop the chemistry for the Monsanto acetic acid process. Forster directed the chemical sciences department under a mandate to refocus corporate chemical research for the life sciences in support of Monsanto's recently acquired pharmaceutical company, Searle.

Forster retired from Monsanto in 1998, and with colleagues from Washington University Medical School, he formed a start-up pharmaceutical company, MetaPhore. He became chief executive of MetaPhore shortly before his cancer was detected.

Forster received many awards for scientific achievements, including awards at Monsanto, a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, and the Ipatieff Prize (1980) from the American Chemical Society. He joined ACS in 1971. Forster's wife, Hazel, and two daughters survive him.

Daniel A. Lima, 75, an industrial-chemist-turned-educator, died on May 29.

Born in Dighton, Mass., he graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Maryland and completed postdoctoral work with Arthur C. Cope at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After several years in industry, Lima bought Sapon Laboratories, a small chemicals manufacturer. He renamed the company Overlook Industries, relocated its operations to Alpha, N.J., and ran it for 17 years.

Lima then turned to academics. He spent several years as a visiting professor at Lehigh University and taught at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and Central Florida Community College, in Ocala.

While in Florida, Lima also volunteered and enjoyed playing tennis and golf.

Lima is survived by his wife, Gildanna; two children; and two sisters. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1958 and served in local section activities.

Arthur B. Metzner, 79, H. Fletcher Brown Professor Emeritus and former chair of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware, died on May 4.

He was born in Saskatchewan and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1948 with a B.Sc. in chemical engineering. He received a Sc.D. in chemical engineering from MIT in 1961 and spent his career at the University of Delaware.

Colleagues and students remember that his contributions to rheology and the mechanics of non-Newtonian fluids were developed with critical key experiments and innovative analysis.

They also recall a humorous and warm but demanding teacher, a world-renowned researcher, and an editor of the Journal of Rheology. Among his awards, Metzner was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Metzner is survived by his wife, Elisabeth, and three children.

Luis E. Miramontes, 79, a chemical engineer, died on Sept. 13, 2004.

Born in Tepic, Nayarit, in Mexico, he earned a B.S. in chemical engineering in 1954 from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in Mexico City.

Miramontes started his career as a researcher in organic chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry at UNAM. He joined Syntex in Mexico City, where he worked on the synthesis of various compounds related to steroids.

On Oct. 15, 1951, Miramontes, then 26, synthesized norethindrone, which would become the active compound base of the first synthetic oral contraceptive pill. He received the patent on the compound with Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz.

Miramontes continued as a researcher in organic chemistry and taught in several prestigious Mexican universities. Among his awards, he received the Andrés Manuel del RÍo, the top chemistry prize in Mexico. In 2005, the Mexican Academy of Sciences nominated Miramontes' work on the oral contraceptive pill as the most important Mexican contribution to world science.

He was survived by his wife Lilia, 10 children, and 12 grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1956.

William W. Pedersen, 90, retired vice president of marketing for Dow Chemical and Dow Corning, died peacefully in his sleep on June 29.

Born in New York City, Pedersen received a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville in 1938. He worked for Dow Chemical and Dow Corning until he retired in 1981.

In retirement, he sailed, golfed, and played tennis in Florida. His wife of 53 years, Virginia, died in 1994. He is survived by three children, a sister, four grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

Eugene M. Sallee, 88, a retired analytical methods research chemist at Procter & Gamble, died on July 5.

Born in Galesburg, Ill., he served during World War II in the Pacific Theater and in the Army infantry from 1942 to 1945. After completing his Ph.D. at Iowa State University, he worked at Procter & Gamble for 30 years.

Sallee retired in 1978. He enjoyed his family, his church, and volunteering as a docent at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Sally; five children; 15 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1941.

Alfred M. Wynne, 76, a retired professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, died on June 16.

Born in Bangor, Maine, he received degrees in chemical engineering (B.S. 1952) and physical chemistry (M.S. 1955) from the University of Maine, Orono. He joined the chemistry faculty at the University of Massachusetts as a general instructor while he worked on a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, which he completed in 1970. He retired in 1995 as an associate professor.

Previously, he had been employed as a research chemist for Eastman Kodak, in Rochester, N.Y., and as a telegrapher/tower operator at various locations on the Maine Central Railroad. He was active in Voice of the Faithful and was a charter member and cofounder of the Amherst Railway Society. During his retirement, he served as a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society.

Wynne leaves his wife of 46 years, Mary; two children; and one grandson. An emeritus member, he joined ACS in 1954.