Stuart M. Kaback

Stuart M. Kaback, 77, a retired Exxon­Mobil chemist and chemical patent information specialist, died of a heart attack at his home in Cranford, N.J., on Feb. 13.

Kaback was born in Elizabeth, N.J., and did all of his schooling at Columbia University. He received a B.S. in 1955 and an M.S. in 1956, both in chemistry. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1960 under Charles R. Dawson.

He then joined the Technical Information Division of Esso Research & Engineering (now ExxonMobil Research & Engineering). He remained with the company for 42 years, becoming an internationally recognized expert in patent searching. He retired as a senior scientific adviser in 2002.

A prolific writer on the topic of patent information, especially in the area of metallocene catalysis of polyolefin polymerization, Kaback wrote a regular column for the journal World Patent Information. Influencing an entire generation of patent searchers, he was a founding member of the Patent Information Users Group, an organization of professional patent searchers. He served as a PIUG board member from 2000 to 2002.

Kaback was an emeritus member of ACS, which he joined in 1958. He served on the ACS Joint Board-Council Committee on Chemical Abstracts Service.

He received the Herman Skolnik Award from the ACS Division of Chemical Information in 1999 and the International Patent Information Award in 2001.

He was a longtime active member of Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim in Cranford and had a great love of opera and the theater.

Kaback is survived by his wife of 56 years, Marilyn; daughter, Robin; son, Gilbert; and five grandchildren.