Othmer, Donald Frederick PhD

1904 - 1995  (91 years)

• Name	Othmer, Donald Frederick
  Suffix	PhD
  Birth	11 May 1904	Omaha, Nebraska, USA
  	20190607HAv- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Othmer Donald Othmer American professor Donald f. Othmer Donald Frederick Othmer was an American professor of chemical engineering, an inventor, multi-millionaire and philanthropist, whose most famous work is the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Wikipedia Born: May 11, 1904, Omaha, NE Died: November 1, 1995, New York, NY Education: University of Michigan Awards: Perkin Medal Notable awards: Chemical Pioneer Award (1977), MORE Notable student: Walter Brenner Books View 4+ more Fluidization (1956) Fluidization 1956 Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Paper to Pigment Dispersions Kirk?Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemi... Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Blood, Coagulants and Anticoagulants to Cardiovascular Agents Encyclopedia of Chemical... Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Chlorocarbons and Chlorohydrocarbons-CSUB 2/SUB to Combustion Technology Kirk?Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemi...
  Gender	Male
  Education	Between 1924 and 1927
  	University of Michigan, MS & PhD chemical engineering
  Education	1924	Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
  	University of Nebraska- Lincoln. BS, chemical engineering
  author	20210217HAv- Mary Drapcho 12 February 2021 · Coudersport... Dr. Donald F. Othmer 'Chemist DONALD F. OTHMER In 1998, Donald Othmer, a world-renowned chemist, philanthropist and Polytechnic University professor, together with his wife, Mildred, made the largest single cash private university, benchmark educational philanthropy. Othmer, holder of more than 150 patents and author of more than 350 scholarly articles, was both a pragmatist and a visionary. While inventing fundamental tools and technologies such as the Othmer Still and heating systems for arctic pipelines, Othmer also found time to edit, with Polytechnic's Dean Chemistry, Raymond Kirk, the pivotal 27-volume Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, which still in use today. Comments Richard Neefe Mary Drapcho Thanks for this info Ms. Mary very informative. · Reply · 4d Mary Drapcho Richard Neefe I have so much stuff of them. There are the Christmas card "plates" from Japanese artist, and the pictures of the house inside and out. Plus their biography. We played there so much because the Hmel kids were my friends and I talked to Dr. Othmer and wife as a kid. They were nice but not friendly. He developed RDX and did evaluations for the US Gov't on German chemicals after WWII. I find it all very interesting. The Othmer Still is being used today. · Reply · 4d Mary Drapcho This is a picture from the collection. May be an image of tree, snow and nature · Reply · 4d Dale Ulkins Mary, did the Othmer's only live there occasionally? I grew up knowing the house but knew almost nothing about him. I was astounded by what you shared. That got me going to the Internet for more! · Reply · 4d Mary Drapcho Dale Ulkins Yay! Readers are leaders! Yes. I think in one of picture collections it is referred to as "Coudersport Country Home." However, in either his biography or an article HE listed Coudersport as his home on a form. Some of the Christmas Cards are of Coudersport house and environs. scenes · Reply · 4d Dale Ulkins Mary Drapcho Thanks so much, Mary. I think fondly, and with reverence to the Drapcho name. Trooper Al was an intimidating presence in our teenage hooligan years. · Reply · 4d Mary Drapcho Dale Ulkins I feel ya'. He had a wild kid and a perfect kid. I found his reach extended all across the state. No escape! ???? · Reply · 4d Steven J Heimel Mary, I urge you to begin writing all this up for the Historical Society. Also maybe you can look into H. Carter Berry, inventor of the cast aluminum piston, who lived on North Main Street. Berry worked hard to convince authorities that Coudersport did not need a sewage treatment plant. Another luminary was Chancellor Litchfield, of the University of Pittsburgh, who planted fields of Vinca Rosea at his summer home in Potter County in a quest for a cure for cancer. · Reply · 3d Paul W. Heimel Three local legends lost in history . . . fascinating. · Reply · 3d Mary Drapcho Steven J Heimel thank you! Orhmers are easy, there was a information everywhere. I think Litchfield and my father were friends, but Berry I've never heard of. I guess I'd better figuratively crack my knuckles and do some research. ???? · Reply · 3d Steven J Heimel He was quite the gardener, building a contraption that allowed him to sit while rooting in the ground. There was somewhat of a fight over the patent, which he ended up winning, maybe involving Chrysler Corporation. · Reply · 3d Mary Drapcho Steven J Heimel I was looking up Othmer and garden patents and stumbled on an oral history of him talking in his office in Brooklyn. He interesting. · Reply · 3d John C Wetzel I've used the 'Kirk-Othmer Encyclopaedia' extensively in my studies and in my career. I was shocked about 40 years ago to learn that he was THAT Dr. Othmer! · Reply · 1m · Edited Write a reply… Your comment was edited
  		Othmer- Encycl of Chemical Tech vol18 20190607HAv- https://books.google.com/books/about/Kirk_Othmer_Encyclopedia_of_Chemical_Tec.html?id=iZFrswEACAAJ&source=kp_cover Bibliographic information QR code for Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Paper to Pigment Dispersions Title Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Paper to Pigment Dispersions Volume 18 of…
  		Othmer, Donald F FB210212MaryDrapchoCou 20210217HAv- Mary Drapcho 12 February 2021 · Coudersport... Dr. Donald F. Othmer 'Chemist DONALD F. OTHMER In 1998, Donald Othmer, a world-renowned chemist, philanthropist and Polytechnic University professor, together with his wife, Mildred, made the largest single cash private university, benchmark educational philanthropy. Othmer, holder of…
  Death	1 Nov 1995	New York City
  	20190607HAv- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Othmer Donald Othmer American professor Donald f. Othmer Donald Frederick Othmer was an American professor of chemical engineering, an inventor, multi-millionaire and philanthropist, whose most famous work is the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Wikipedia Born: May 11, 1904, Omaha, NE Died: November 1, 1995, New York, NY Education: University of Michigan Awards: Perkin Medal Notable awards: Chemical Pioneer Award (1977), MORE Notable student: Walter Brenner Books View 4+ more Fluidization (1956) Fluidization 1956 Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Paper to Pigment Dispersions Kirk?Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemi... Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Blood, Coagulants and Anticoagulants to Cardiovascular Agents Encyclopedia of Chemical... Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Chlorocarbons and Chlorohydrocarbons-CSUB 2/SUB to Combustion Technology Kirk?Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemi... age 91 Wednesday at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Dr. Othmer, who had been a professor at Polytechnic University for more than 60 years, was 91.
  Obituary	3 Nov 1995	New York, New York, USA
  	The New York Times: Wednesday at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Dr. Othmer, who had been a professor at Polytechnic University for more than 60 years, was 91.
  	20190607HAv- https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/03/us/donald-f-othmer-dies-at-91-acclaimed-chemical-engineer.html Donald F. Othmer Dies at 91; Acclaimed Chemical Engineer By ROBERT MCG. THOMAS JR.NOV. 3, 1995 [This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.] The article as it originally appeared. November 3, 1995, Page 00022 The New York Times Archives Donald F. Othmer, an innovative chemical engineer who combined an inquisitive mind, a practical nature and gift for manual dexterity into an acclaimed career as an educator, inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, died on Wednesday at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Dr. Othmer, who had been a professor at Polytechnic University for more than 60 years, was 91. Although Polytechnic was his base from the time he joined the faculty of the university's fledgling chemical engineering department in 1932, Dr. Othmer, who served for many years as department chairman and helped transform the obscure college in Brooklyn into one of the nation's leading technological centers, had a wide-ranging career. Among other things, he helped develop one of the most powerful conventional explosives, RDX, which was made from acetic acid and used in World War II. He also obtained more than 150 American and foreign patents, and circumnavigated the globe more than a dozen times as a highly sought international consultant who virtually created the Burmese chemical industry after the war. As well known to generations of chemical engineers as Hoyle is to card players, Dr. Othmer was a founding editor of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, a multivolume reference work now in its fourth edition. (The co-founder, Raymond Kirk, a former chairman of Polytechnic's chemistry department, died before the first edition was published in 1947.) A native of Omaha, where his father was a sheet metal worker, Dr. Othmer traced his interest in chemistry to a high school teacher who had studied at the University of Heidelberg in Germany with Robert Bunsen, whose Bunsen burner became a laboratory fixture. After graduating from the University of Nebraska and receiving a doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1927, Dr. Othmer assured his own fame as a young engineer for the Eastman Kodak Company. Assigned to find an efficient way to distill acetic acid, a major ingredient in safety film, he not only accomplished that task, laying the groundwork for a huge new industry, but also did it in a particularly ingenious way. To measure the effects of various distilling methods, he invented the Othmer still, a device that continues to be used to study distillation. It was typical of Dr. Othmer's hands-on, low-cost approach to scientific problem solving in that he not only dreamed up and designed the still, but also learned glass blowing so taht he could build it himself. After receiving a $10 bonus for each of the 40 or so patents he obtained for Eastman, some eventually worth millions to the company, Dr. Othmer struck out on his own, working as a consultant until the Depression led him to the security of a post at Poltytechnic -- an institution, he later noted, that assured him both academic and entrepreneurial freedom. He trained thousands of students, including many who became leading figures in the chemical industry and one who found success in a different field, Martin Perl, who won this year's Nobel Prize for physics. Dr. Othmer, who had a knack for finding simple, practical solutions to complicated problems, specialized in improving chemical manufacturing processes. His work has been fundamental to the production of billions of pounds of resins, plastics, surface coatings, textile fibers, foods and pharmaceuticals. Not all of his chemical inventions paid off. Most tended to be elegant, however, although few reached the inspired Rube Goldberg heights as the 1975 patent he received for a process to use sunlight and sea water to produce fresh water, electric power and nourishment for clams, oysters, lobsters and other seafood. Dr. Othmer gave away millions of dollars to charities, but the money did not come primarily from his patent royalties. Rather, it came from his investments. As skilled in finance as he was in nearly everything else, Dr. Othmer, a man of such practical frugality that he dispensed with lawyers and wrote his own patent applications in longhand, was one of the earliest partners of his Omaha friend, Warren Buffet. He is survived by his wife, the former Mildred Topp of Omaha, who now lives in a nursing home there, and a sister, Mildred Peterson of Chicago.
  Name	Donald F. Othmer
  	20190607HAv- 20190606HAv- The Potter Enterprise (Coudersport, Pennsylvania) 12 Jan 1956, Thu Page 1 Dead . .. Seriously Injured Roulette Girl, 17, Killed Instantly In Auto Crash 23-Year-Old Ex-Soldier Driver Suffered Serious Head Injury; Hospitalized in Olean General; Condition "Not So Good" Skating At Othmer's Awaits Weather Othmer's pond here is ready for ice skating if the weatherman does his part. A borough street department crew, directed by Oliver Watson, street commissioner, removed snow from the Park Ave. body of water Tuesday. Ice on the pond was about eight inches thick, Mr. Watson reported. Tentative plans call for the pond to be open for skating nightly from 6:00 to 9:00, under supervision. The pond also will be open Saturday afternoons. Donald F. Othmer, owner of the property, okayed use of the pond by local skaters in a letter to borough officials. Mr. Watson said skating would begin as soon as the weather turned colder. Page context wetzupdoc Member Photo CLIPPED BY wetzupdoc · 5 seconds ago CLIPPED FROM The Potter Enterprise Coudersport, Pennsylvania 12 Jan 1956, Thu • Page 1
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  Person ID	I69864	WETZEL-SPRING

  
  

  Father	Othmer, mr
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F47163	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Topp, Mildred Jane   d. 1998
  gossip column jt	19 Sep 1940	Coudersport, Potter, Pennsylvania, USA
  	The Potter Enterprise Thu p.5 Dr. and Mrs. D.F. Othmer left for New York City Sunday, after spending the summer months at their home here.
  	20240218GHLn- The Potter Enterprise 19 Sep 1940 Thu p.5 Dr. and Mrs. D.F. Othmer left for New York City Sunday, after spending the summer months at their home here.
  Marriage	1950	Omaha, Nebraska, USA
  	In 1950, following a divorce, he married his second wife, Mildred Jane Topp, also from Omaha, and an English major from the University of Nebraska.[2] They were together for 45 years and she died in 1998.[5] following a divorce, he married his second wife, Mildred Jane Topp, also from Omaha, and an English major from the University of Nebraska.[2] They were together for 45 years and she died in 1998.[5]
  Family ID	F47162	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Othmer, mrs1 D. F.
  Divorce	divorced, After which Donald married his second wi
  Family ID	F54923	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Education - University of Nebraska- Lincoln. BS, chemical engineering - 1924 - Lincoln, Nebraska, USA gossip column jt - The Potter Enterprise Thu p.5 Dr. and Mrs. D.F. Othmer left for New York City Sunday, after spending the summer months at their home here. - 19 Sep 1940 - Coudersport, Potter, Pennsylvania, USA Obituary - The New York Times: Wednesday at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Dr. Othmer, who had been a professor at Polytechnic University for more than 60 years, was 91. - 3 Nov 1995 - New York, New York, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Othmer, Donald_Mildred_Wedding_Photo_1950 20190607HAv- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Othmer#/media/File:Donald_and_Mildred_Othmer_Wedding_Photo_1950.TIF Wedding photograph of chemist Donald Othmer and his wife Mildred (Topp) Othmer, 1950. They are seated informally. His arm is around her waist. He is dressed in a suit and tie; she is wearing a lace gown, with two strands of…
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Othmer- Encycl of Chemical Tech vol18 20190607HAv- https://books.google.com/books/about/Kirk_Othmer_Encyclopedia_of_Chemical_Tec.html?id=iZFrswEACAAJ&source=kp_cover Bibliographic information QR code for Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Paper to Pigment Dispersions Title Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Paper to Pigment Dispersions Volume 18 of…
  		Othmer, Donald F FB210212MaryDrapchoCou 20210217HAv- Mary Drapcho 12 February 2021 · Coudersport... Dr. Donald F. Othmer 'Chemist DONALD F. OTHMER In 1998, Donald Othmer, a world-renowned chemist, philanthropist and Polytechnic University professor, together with his wife, Mildred, made the largest single cash private university, benchmark educational philanthropy. Othmer, holder of…

  
  

• Notes

  20190607HAv- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Othmer Donald Othmer American professor Donald f. Othmer Donald Frederick Othmer was an American professor of chemical engineering, an inventor, multi-millionaire and philanthropist, whose most famous work is the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Wikipedia Born: May 11, 1904, Omaha, NE Died: November 1, 1995, New York, NY Education: University of Michigan Awards: Perkin Medal Notable awards: Chemical Pioneer Award (1977), MORE Notable student: Walter Brenner Books View 4+ more Fluidization (1956) Fluidization 1956 Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Paper to Pigment Dispersions Kirk?Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemi... Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Blood, Coagulants and Anticoagulants to Cardiovascular Agents Encyclopedia of Chemical... Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Chlorocarbons and Chlorohydrocarbons-CSUB 2/SUB to Combustion Technology Kirk?Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemi... Donald Othmer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Donald Othmer Donald and Mildred Othmer Wedding Photo 1950.TIF Donald and Mildred Othmer, 1950 Born May 11, 1904 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. Died November 1, 1995 (aged 91) New York City, New York, U.S. Nationality American Alma mater University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1924) University of Michigan (M.S., Chemical Engineering, 1925; Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, 1927) Awards Chemical Pioneer Award (1977) Perkin Medal (1978) E. V. Murphree Award (1978) Scientific career Institutions Eastman Kodak, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Polytechnic University Donald Frederick Othmer (May 11, 1904 - November 1, 1995)[1][2] was an American professor of chemical engineering, an inventor, multi-millionaire and philanthropist, whose most famous work is the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Professional life 3 Accomplishments 4 Things named after Donald Othmer 5 Further reading 6 References 7 External links Early life and education Othmer was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 11, 1904. He attended Omaha Central High School, then gained a scholarship to the chemical engineering program at Armour Institute of Technology (now Illinois Institute of Technology), in Chicago.[3] However, he changed to the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1924 in Chemical Engineering. He completed a Masters at the University of Michigan in 1925 and completed a PhD thesis entitled "The effect of temperature, purity and temperature drop on the rate of condensation of steam" at the same university in 1927.[2][4] Professional life From 1927 to 1931 he worked as an engineer at the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, producing 40 patents. In 1932 he joined the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn as an instructor in the newly independent Department of Chemical Engineering.[3] He was to remain there. In 1937 he became Head of Department, which continued until 1961, when he was named Distinguished Professor.[2] His duties ended in 1976 when he was made Professor Emeritus, but he never officially retired and was actively involved with what was by then the Polytechnic University until his death on November 1, 1995. In 1950, following a divorce, he married his second wife, Mildred Jane Topp, also from Omaha, and an English major from the University of Nebraska.[2] They were together for 45 years and she died in 1998.[5] Accomplishments He was a teacher for nearly 60 years, supervising many masters and doctoral students. While an academic, he continued to invent, and is credited with more than 150 US patents,[6] as well as 350 papers, including important ones on the theory and practice of distillation. In 1945, together with Dr. Raymond Eller Kirk (1890-1957), a chemist at the same institute, he began the work which became the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, a major reference work. (At that time the only comparable reference work was Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, in German.) In 1947 the first volume was published, and it was completed in 1949. The fifth edition was completed in 2007 with 27 volumes. For this and other achievements he received awards from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemists and the Society of Chemical Industry. In 1987 he received the New York City Mayor’s Award of Honor for Science and Technology. He was named by the readers of Chemical and Engineering News as one of the 75 greatest chemical scientists ever. Beginning with a $25,000 investment in a Warren Buffett partnership in the early sixties, the Othmers accumulated a substantial stake in Berkshire Hathaway. At the time of Mildred Othmer's death, their estate totaled more than $750 million, much of which was disbursed in major bequests.[7] These included Polytechnic University, Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, the University of Nebraska and the Chemical Heritage Foundation, resulting in the Othmer Library of Chemical History.[8] A major bequest was made to Planned Parenthood of New York, resulting in the Othmer Institute. He and his wife had supported many other causes in their lifetimes, particularly in the fields of local history, medical care and institutions related to chemistry and chemical engineering. They are commemorated by buildings and awards including the AIChE Sophomore Academic Excellence Award. Things named after Donald Othmer Othmer Building of the American Chemical Society. Othmer Building of the Long Island College Hospital. Othmer Gold Medal Othmer Hall houses the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Nebraska. Othmer Institute of Planned Parenthood, New York. Othmer Library of Brooklyn History. Othmer Library of Chemical History of the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Othmer National Scholarship Awards of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Othmer Olympiad Endowment of the American Chemical Society. Othmer Residence Hall at NYU School of Engineering. Othmermeter: A simple device for measuring the somniferous power of a lecturer's speech pattern[citation needed] Othmer Still: A laboratory device for vapor-liquid equilibrium measurements.[9] Further reading Library resources about Donald Othmer Resources in your library Resources in other libraries By Donald Othmer Resources in your library Resources in other libraries Arnold Thackray & Amy Beth Crow (eds). (1999) Donald Frederick and Mildred Topp Othmer: A Commemorative of Their Lives and Legacies Chemical Heritage Foundation: Philadelphia, PA, ISBN 0-941901-22-X "Othmer, Donald F.". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. (subscription required) Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 27 Volume Set, 5th Edition (2007) ISBN 978-0-471-48494-3

  
  

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