William Ehmann

EHMANN William Donald, February 7 1931 - December 17 2013. William D. Ehmann, 82, of Lexington died Tuesday. Ehmann was born February 7, 1931 in Madison, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Chemistry. He married Nancy Gallagher on July 16, 1955 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1957 he received his PhD in Radiochemistry from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. After working at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, Ehmann accepted a faculty position as Professor of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, where he worked for over thirty-five years. Named a Fulbright Research Scholar in 1964, he traveled to Australia for a year where he completed ground-breaking research on meteorites. In the 1970s Ehmann was chosen by NASA to be included in the first group of scientists to analyze moon samples from the Apollo missions. He has presented at more than 100 conferences around the world and published over 275 papers in refereed journals. In later years his research focused on the relationship between traces minerals and Alzheimer's disease. The University of Kentucky honored him as a Distinguished Professor in 1968, and in 1987 he won the William B. Sturgill Award for contributions to graduate education. He also served as chairman of the Chemistry Department and Associate Dean for Research in the Graduate School. Ehmann received the Kentucky Academy of Science Distinguished Scientist Award in 1982. In 1996 he received the American Chemical Society National Award for Nuclear Chemistry. In the same year, the American Nuclear Society created the W.D. Ehmann Award in his name, for which he was the first recipient. Ehmann is survived by his wife Nancy, sons Bill (Susan), John, and Jim (Muthoni), daughter Kathleen (Steve) and grandchildren George and Alex. Beyond his career a scientist, he loved the outdoors and was an avid hiker, fisherman, and rock-hound. He traveled the world with his wife Nancy, visiting dozens of countries. The family's fondest memories are of the annual fishing and camping trips to the remote lake country of northern Wisconsin, where his ancestors first settled from Germany. Memorial contributions in his name are recommended to the University of Kentucky Chemistry Dept. - Chemistry Student Education Travel Fund at: University of Kentucky, Dept. of Chemistry, 125 Chemistry-Physics Bldg., Lexington KY 40506, Attn: Jennifer Bradshaw. Visitation will be at 10am at The Cathedral of Christ the King, 299 Colony Blvd, Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, December 21, with a memorial mass at 11am. Burial will take place in Calvary Cemetery with a reception to follow at the church. Kerr Brothers Funeral Home - Harrodsburg Road are in charge of arrangements.