Arthur Katchman

Arthur Katchman, 85, a retired General Electric chemist and research manager, died on March 3.

Katchman was raised in Brooklyn and served in the Army during World War II in Europe and the Pacific. He received a B.A. from New York University in 1949 and a Ph.D. from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1955. He then worked as a research chemist at Hooker Chemical before returning to the Polytechnic Institute to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in chemistry.

In 1958, Katchman began a 32-year career at the General Electric, working first as an organic chemist at the GE Research Lab in Schenectady, N.Y. Later, he served as a research manager in the company’s Capacitor Division in Hudson Falls, N.Y., before transferring to GE’s Chemical Development Operation in 1966 to act as its manager of polymer chemistry. The following year, he moved to the company’s Plastics Division, where he held numerous managerial positions. Katchman generated more than 50 patents and authored numerous scientific papers before retiring in 1990.

In recognition of his contributions to the business, GE dedicated the library at its Selkirk, N.Y., site to Katchman in 1989. He was a member of Sigma Xi and an emeritus member of ACS, which he joined in 1949.

He was an avid golfer and skier and traveled around the world.

Katchman is survived by his wife, Evelyn; sons, Ross and Scott; and four grandchildren.