Thomas J. Porro

PITTSFIELD -- Thomas John Porro, 83, of Westport, Conn., a native of Pittsfield, died Nov. 7 at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn., after suffering a heart attack.

Born in Pittsfield on Sept. 17, 1924, son of Thomas and Maddalena Zaglio Porro, he graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1941, earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1949 and completed a master's program in chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1958.

An Army veteran of World War II, he served 18 months in the Philippines during the latter stages of World War II, attaining the rank of first lieutenant. He left the military after 3 1/2 years to continue his education.

In his early years, Mr. Porro was employed by Eastman Kodak as a chemist in Rochester, N.Y. In 1958, he joined PerkinElmer Corp. in Norwalk, Conn., as an applications chemist and held product management and senior scientist positions over the course of his 35-year career. He made numerous contributions to the technologies of fluorescence and infrared spectroscopy and was an active contributor to many well-known scientific professional societies.

He was an active member of the Unitarian Church in Westport, serving on its board of trustees for several terms, including twice as chairman. He led committees that oversaw extensive renovations to the church's architecturally distinctive roof and structure in both the late 1980s and late 1990s.

Mr. Porro was a longtime amateur astronomer and a volunteer for the Westport Astronomical Society, and a member of the Stamford Mineralogical Society and the Westport Y's Men. He enjoyed collecting and studying rocks, tennis, photography, woodworking, sailing, fishing in his backyard pond, vegetable gardening, crossword puzzles and traveling.

He and his wife, the former Lois Virginia Soons, were married June 10, 1951, at the Columbia University Chapel in New York City. She died in 2006.

He leaves a son, Gian Porro of Littleton, Colo.; two daughters, Andrea Allen of Wellesley and Elena Porro of Boston; a sister, Zita Milne of Williamstown; and two grandchildren.

FUNERAL NOTICE -- A memorial service celebrating the life of Thomas J. Porro, who died Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007, will be held Jan. 12, 2008, at noon at the Unitarian Church in Westport, Conn. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in his memory to any of the following organizations: The Chemical Heritage Foundation, The Unitarian Church in Westport, Conn., or the Westport Astronomical Society. Mr. Porro also leaves two nephews, Thomas Filipinni of Stephentown, N.Y., and (George) King Milne of Charlotte, Vt.; a niece, Kathleen Milne of Wilton, Conn.; and two grandchildren, Elliot Allen and Adriana Porro.