Most recent title: director of research and
William J. Ambs
development, Monsanto Education: B.S., chemistry, University of New Hampshire, 1942; M.S., chemistry, Columbia University, 1950 Survivors: sons, Harold, John, and Robert
stannous fluoride as a dentifrice for Crest toothpaste. Over his 36-year career at P&G, he directed research efforts in a wide variety of consumer health care products. In retirement, he loved to golf, travel, and spend time with his family.”—James M. Broge, son
William J. Ambs, 87, died on April 8 in Lansdale, Pa.
Miklos M. Breuer
Most recent title: director of research,
Miklos M. Breuer, 90, died on May 14 in Brookline, Mass.
Education: B.S., chemistry, Harvard Uni-
▸ Obituaries
“In his last days, dad recited from the Latin Mass. A man of faith and science, dad believed God created the laws of the natural world. In 2008, a professor wrote concerning dad’s 1952 paper in the Journal of Organic Chemistry on molecules with knots. It was a proud moment to discover something of lasting value, but dad already had faith. Dad said, ‘I will go to the altar of God. To God who giveth joy to my youth.’ ”—Caroline Ambs Niesley, daughter
Most recent title: SEI systems engineer, Lockheed Martin
Education: B.S., chemistry, Villanova University, 1952; M.S., chemistry, Stevens Institute of Technology, 1954; Ph.D., physical chemistry, Catholic University of America, 1961 Survivors: daughter, Caroline Ambs Niesley
“Miki was born in Hungary in 1927. In 1949, he escaped from Stalinist Hungary by swimming a river and immigrated to Israel. In 1974, Miki was invited by Gillette to join its corporate research in the U.S. Working both in Rockville, Md., and in Boston, he directed long-term research projects associated with toiletry products. When Gillette bought Oral-B, he started and then managed the oral care department of the company’s corporate research division. Among other developments, he was responsible for the research and development of the blue stripe on the toothbrush that indicates excessive wear. He retired from Gillette at age 65 but continued to consult for several years, both for Gillette and for other companies.”—family of Miklos Breuer
Charles H. Basdekis
Most recent title: chemist, Gillette Education: Bs.C., chemical engineering,
Charles H. Basdekis, 95, died on Dec. 7, 2016, in Longmeadow, Mass.
Technical University of Budapest, 1949; Ph.D., polymer chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, 1958 Survivors: wife, Joann; daughter, Judy; son, Kenny
“After graduation, Charles began working on a Navy-sponsored wartime project. After the war, while employed by Monsanto, he participated in the development of styrene polymers and played a leading role in the development of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastics. As a result, he was given an academic leave of absence to attend the graduate school of his choice. He completed the course requirements for a master’s degree at Columbia University in New York City. After those studies, he returned to Monsanto, at their Central Research Laboratories in Dayton, Ohio, working on acrylic fibers and soil conditioners. In 1952, Charles transferred to Monsanto’s Springfield plastics division, where he worked until his retirement in December 1982.”—family of Charles Basdekis
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C&EN | CEN.ACS.ORG | JULY 10, 2017
Robert W. Broge Robert W. Broge, 97, died on April 1 in Wyoming, Ohio. “Bob had the opportunity to work on developing rocket engines as part of the war effort upon graduating from Harvard. After receiving his Ph.D. from Cornell, he joined Procter & Gamble, where he researched
Procter & Gamble versity, 1942; Ph.D., physical chemistry, Cornell University, 1948 Survivors: wife, Janet; daughter, Laurel Mauldin; sons, Charles, Edward, James, and Thomas
Audrey M. Cameron Audrey M. Cameron, 72, died on March 22 in Columbus, Ohio. “Audrey moved to Columbus, Ohio, and worked at Chemical Abstracts since 1971. Audrey loved the outdoors, reading, gardening, and sports. Among her favorite sports were curling, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, hiking, backpacking, and tennis. Audrey loved to travel. She skied all over the West and Canada. She visited many countries on many continents. She was proud of everything Canadian, even after becoming a citizen of the U.S.”— Harry C. Hershey, partner
Most recent title: senior editor, CAS, , a division of the American Chemical Society
Education: B.S., organic chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 1966; Ph.D., organic chemistry, McMaster University, 1972 Survivors: sister, Erma; partner, Harry C. Hershey
Demet Gurel Demet Gurel, 78, died on Jan. 7 in New York City. “In addition to being dedicated to teaching organic chemistry, my mother enjoyed visiting art galleries and museums around the world with my father, the late Okan Gurel, with whom she cowrote ‘Oscillations in Chemical Reactions,’ published by Springer-Verlag in 1983, with a Rus-
C R E D I T: COU RTESY O F CA RO L IN E A M BS N I ES L EY ( A MBS ) ; CO URT ESY O F K E N N Y B R E U E R (B R E U E R ); CO URT ESY O F JA MES BRO GE ( B RO G E) ; COU RTESY OF H A R RY H E RS H EY (CAM E RO N )
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