Richard J. (Dick) Lagow

Richard J. (Dick) Lagow, 64, a professor of chemistry at the University of Texas, Austin, died on April 26 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Born in Albuquerque, N.M., Lagow earned a B.A. in 1967 and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1969, both from Rice University.

He then began his career as an assistant chemistry professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He rose to the rank of associate professor and was an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow from 1974 until 1975. In 1976, he accepted an associate professor position in the chemistry department at UT Austin. He served as a full professor there from 1980 until 1994 and was then named its L. N. Vauquelin Regents Professor of Chemistry.

Lagow was honored as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1997, he received the ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry. He joined ACS in 1979.

Lagow founded Exfluor Research in 1977 and remained as its president until early 2006. He authored 212 chemical publications and was credited with 81 U.S. patents.

He is survived by his wife, Roxann Parker-Lagow; his daughters, Micale Crawford and Kristen Bettis; his son, Robert D.; four grandchildren; and his former wife, Bobbie D. Lagow.