Richard L. Keiter

Richard L. Keiter, 79, died on Jan. 19 in Charleston, Ill.

“Richard L. Keiter, a 50-plus-year ACS member and an ACS Fellow, was on the chemistry faculty at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) from 1969 until his retirement in 2007. Best known for his research into the synthesis and rearrangements of phosphine complexes of group 6 metals, he and his wife Ellen joined Jim Huheey in revising the classic inorganic text, ‘Inorganic Chemistry: Principles and Applications.’ In 1988, Keiter was named EIU Distinguished Professor for his undergraduate classroom teaching and for his research mentoring of graduate students. Richard was part of a small group who convinced the Council on Undergraduate Research to expand to include public institutions. From 1992 to 1997, he served on the ACS Petroleum Research Fund Advisory Board, where he chaired the inorganic committee for non-Ph.D. schools and was a member of the Advisory Board policy committee. Outside the lab, he was appreciated by his colleagues and friends as an avid chess player, triathlete, raconteur, and always a gentleman.”—David H. Buchanan and Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, friends and colleagues

Most recent title: professor emeritus, Eastern Illinois University

Education: B.S., chemistry, Shepherd College, 1961; M.S., inorganic chemistry, West Virginia University, 1964; Ph.D., inorganic chemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, 1967

Survivors: wife, Ellen; daughter, Lisa; son, Eric

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