Carl Ziegler

Carl Ziegler, 60, a retired Pfizer chemist, died of cancer on Aug. 14.

Born in Columbia, Pa., Ziegler received a B.S. in chemistry in 1974 from Millersville University and an M.S. in organic chemistry in 1977 at the University of Delaware, working with Richard F. Heck on the development of the Heck reaction.

Ziegler earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1981 from Duke University under Ned A. Porter before conducting postdoctoral research with Sir Jack Baldwin at the University of Oxford and at Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel, Switzerland.

He then launched his career in 1984, serving as a group leader in Lederle Laboratories’ medical research division. In 1995, he joined Pfizer in Groton, Conn., where he remained until his retirement in 2012. He was a project leader in Pfizer’s veterinary medicine department, supervising the development of Draxxin, an antibacterial for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease. Later in his career, he was an associate research fellow, serving as a technical expert in patent law. Ziegler joined ACS in 1975.

In addition to coaching his sons’ recreational sports teams, Ziegler was also president of East Lyme Little League baseball for three years and an active member of the East Lyme Garden Club.

He is survived by his wife, Jillian, and sons, Robert and Philip.