Chemistry, 1963-2008
b. June 27, 1930, Topeka, Kans.
d. May 2008, Amherst, Mass.
A native of Topeka, Kans., Marvin D. Rausch received his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1955 and served two years in the Air Force as a projects officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, conducting research in organosilicon and organometallic chemistry. After completing his service (and entering the reserves), he accepted a post-doctoral position at the Technical University in Munich, Germany, with future Nobel laureate E.O. Fischer.
Rausch joined the Chemistry faculty at UMass Amherst in 1963. A scholar in organometallic chemistry of the transition metals, Rausch wrote over 150 articles during his career, and became one of the first chairs of the Organometallic Subdivision of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Inorganic Chemistry as well as the Permanent International Secretary of the International Conference on Organometallic Chemistry. A passionate collector of minerals and fan of the basketball team, he remained in Amherst until his death in May 2008.