LeRoy Eyring

LeRoy Eyring passed away peacefully on November 28, 2005. He was born December 26, 1919 in Pima, Arizona. He followed in his oldest brother Henry Eyring's footsteps, choosing chemistry as a career. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Arizona and served in the Navy from 1944-1946, before earning his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1949. His first faculty position was at the University of Iowa. He spent 1958-1960 in Europe and Australia, the recipient of National Science Foundation, Guggenheim, and Fulbright-Hays research grants. These years initiated many scientifically productive international contacts and friendships. Upon his return, he was actively recruited by Arizona State University, and came home to his native state in 1961 as Chairman of the Chemistry Department. During his tenure, he established the department as one of the finest in the country and was the driving force behind the development of the Center for Solid State Science. LeRoy was named a Regents' Professor of Chemistry in 1988 and published more than 150 articles and books. He is recognized as a world-wide authority on rare earth oxides. The Ph.D,s and post-docs who studied with him now teach at prestigious institutions in the U.S. and abroad, and work in many major industrial laboratories. In addition to having a distinguished academic career, LeRoy was also a loving husband and father. He is survived by his wife LaReal; his four children: Michelle Dow, Patricia Castalia, Cynthia Eyring, and Gregory Eyring; and his four grandchildren: Drew and Ryan Castalia, and Katherine and Benjamin Eyring. A Remembrance Gathering will be held at the Desert Botanical Garden's Webster Auditorium on Saturday, December 3rd, 10am-2pm. In LeRoy's memory, the family has established the Eyring Scholarship in Chemistry through the ASU Foundation, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85287.