Cornelius STEELINK

STEELINK, Cornelius 1922 - 2016 Cornelius "Corny" Steelink, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arizona, and a lifelong advocate for civil and individual rights, died in Los Angeles on November 12, 2016, following surgery to combat congestive heart failure. He was 94. Born October 1, 1922, in Los Angeles, Steelink was the son of immigrants who exposed him to unorthodox ideas. His mother was Russian and his father was Dutch, and both were ardent activists in the labor movement of the early 1920s. Steelink was a conscientious objector during World War II, and was sent to a service camp for COs in the California mountains that was run by the American Friends Service Committee. Three years after the war ended he met Jean Wiley on a civil rights picket line in Los Angeles, and he proposed to her on bended knee a year later; she married him on the condition that he join the ACLU. The couple built a home in 1954 in the first inter-racial cooperative housing project in Los Angeles, and together they founded the northeastern chapter of Southern California's ACLU affiliate. In 1957 they moved to Tucson where they founded Arizona's ACLU affiliate. In the late 1950s Steelink became a professor of chemistry at the University of Arizona and conducted research into innovative uses of natural products. Between 1958 and 1960, the Steelinks adopted two girls of mixed race, Kaye and Laurie Steelink, and Jean earned a B.A. in sociology at the University of Arizona. The Steelinks hosted countless ACLU meetings in their home during the years that their daughters were maturing. Two years after Jean Wiley Steelink's death, in 2001, Steelink married Joanne Whittington, and the couple split their lives between Tucson and South Pasadena where they maintained homes. Steelink received a B.S. in chemistry, at Cal Tech, in 1944; an M.S. in chemistry at U.S.C. in 1950; and a Ph.D. in chemistry at U.C.L.A. in 1956. He was a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Arizona from 1957-1989. He was Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona from 1989 until his death. Cornelius Steelink is survived by his wife, Joanne Whittington Steelink; his daughters, Kaye Wingfield (Frank) and Laurie Steelink; granddaughter, Erika Wingfield; his stepchildren, Ruth, David and Blair Whittington and their spouses and children. A Celebration of Life with family, friends and acquaintances will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Goddard Hall located at 4831 E. 22nd St. in Tucson, AZ Charitable contributions may be made to these organizations, which Cornelius supported throughout his life: The Arizona Civil Liberties Union and the American Friends Service Committee.