Raymond P. Mariella Sr.

Raymond P. Mariella Sr., 90, a former executive director of ACS, died on March 17.

Born in Philadelphia, Mariella received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a doctorate in 1945 at Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he helped develop synthetic rubber.

Mariella then joined Loyola University in Chicago as chair of its chemistry department. Later, he served as dean of Loyola’s graduate schools. Mariella hosted the television show “Fun with Chemistry” on WTTW in Chicago and, later, a weekly series on CBS called “Science Unlimited.”

He was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and served as science adviser to the governor of Illinois. Mariella was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1942. He served as executive director of ACS from 1978 to 1982.

In retirement, Mariella and his wife, Miriam, moved to Sun City West, Ariz. He served as president of the Sun City West Coin & Stamp Club and the Arizona Federation of Stamp Clubs and was elected a trustee of the Postal History Foundation. In 2006, he became a member of the Arizona State Philatelic Hall of Fame.

In addition to his wife of 67 years, he is survived by daughters, Miriam Kaiser, Anne, and Patricia; son, Raymond Jr.; and five grandchildren.