James J. Bohning

James J. Bohning, 77, a professor emeritus at Wilkes University who had a passion for studying the history of chemistry, died on Sept. 2 in Newtown, Pa.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Bohning earned a B.S. in chemistry from Valparaiso University in 1956, a master’s degree in chemistry from New York University in 1959, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Northeastern University in 1965.

Bohning taught at Wilkes University from 1959 until 1990, serving as chairman of both the chemistry and environmental science departments. From 1990 until 1995, he served as the director of oral history for the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia, documenting the lives of accomplished chemists and chemical leaders. Bohning was a science writer for the ACS News Service from 1995 until 1998, before serving as a CESAR Fellow at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

An emeritus member of ACS, Bohning, who joined in 1965, was a former chair, longtime historian, and archivist of the ACS Division of the History of Chemistry.

Bohning is survived by his three sons, James Robert, James Matthew, and James Jonathan, and four grandchildren.