Joel Selbin

1931 - 2017

Joel Selbin died of cancer at the age of 85 on Thursday, June 8, 2017 in Boulder, Colorado. Joel was born in Washington, D.C. in 1931 to Abram and Rose Selbin (born Aronson). He received a bachelor's degree with distinction from George Washington University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois. He taught chemistry at Louisiana State University from 1957 to 1993, where he received numerous awards for teaching and research and was a member of many honor and professional societies. He published more than 100 research articles and co-authored two widely-adopted textbooks. Outside the laboratory and classroom, he was active in the civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and efforts to end nuclear power and nuclear arms. During sabbaticals, Joel was a visiting professor at the University of Rome, the University of California and Harvard University. After retiring from L.S.U., he taught chemistry for more than a decade at the University of Colorado in Denver and Boulder. Joel was actively involved in the Boulder World Affairs Discussion Group and another discussion group affectionately known as "the Geezers." He was an avid coin collector, regularly wrote letters to the editor about the politics of the day, and loved reading about astronomy and the universe. He collected and told jokes good and bad at a prodigious rate, and we have no doubt that he will continue his eternal quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Joel is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marion Selbin, and four children and their spouses, Eric Selbin and Helen Cordes of Georgetown Texas, Deborah and David Erickson of Martinez, California, Jeffrey Selbin and Laurel Fletcher of Berkeley, California and Jonathan and Jenny Selbin of New York City. He has five adoring grandchildren, Jesse, Micah, Zoe, Aiden and Charlie and a niece Jerianne Berman and nephew Eric Hoddes. He was preceded in death by his sister Sylvia Hoddes of Bethesda, Maryland. Joel will be buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Boulder. The family is grateful for the incredible support of Joel and Marion's friends, and the assistance of the caring staff at Frasier Meadows and Tru Community Care Hospice. In lieu of flowers, the family recommends donations to the Union of Concerned Scientists (http://www.ucsusa.org) or the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project (https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights).