Robert Williams

1930 - 2024

Robert Williams
04/06/1930 - 06/30/2024
Robert E. (Bob) Williams Ph.D, was born on April 6, 1930, in Cleveland, Ohio, and died on June 30, 2024, in Chula Vista, California. Bob attended Our Lady of Lourdes Parochial School, Jesuit High School and Loyola University in New Orleans, La., where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry in 1952. As a young undergraduate at Loyola, Bob demonstrated his mischievous streak. He and a classmate synthesized nitroglycerine and converted it to dynamite. To test their handiwork, they went to a wooded area on the outskirts of New Orleans and blew up a decrepit old oak tree. Despite the success of the experiment their better judgment prevailed, and the experiment was never repeated. On graduating from Loyola, Bob accepted a Research Fellowship to Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he received a Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry in 1958. At OSU, Bob was inducted into 3 national honorary Scientific Societies, Phi Lambda Upsilon (Chemistry), Sigma Pi Sigma (Physics) and Sigma Xi (Research). In 1956, Bob accepted a summer internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory which had earlier assembled the largest pool of scientific talent in the world to develop the first Atomic Bomb. At Los Alamos, he evaluated inventions submitted to the Laboratory by private citizens aimed to protect populations that may be exposed to atomic radiation. After graduate school at OSU, he went to work for Humble Oil Co., (later called Exxon Production Research Co.) in Houston, Texas. At Exxon, he made significant contributions to the technologies for increasing production from oil wells and for responding to oil spills worldwide. He was awarded 12 U.S., and foreign patents before retiring in 1987. In Houston, Bob provided valuable services to his community and his profession. He served for several years as a mentor to an Explorer Scout Science Troop sponsored by Exxon. He also served in a similar capacity to Junior Achievement, an industry supported group which develops entrepreneurship and business skills in high school students. He acted as a liaison between Exxon and the United Way during their annual fund drives. He also served one term as President of the Engineers Council of Houston, an organization to coordinate and communicate activities of the major Engineering and Scientific societies in the Houston Area. After retirement from Exxon, Bob co-founded Novatec Inc., a research company providing solutions to problems in petroleum and medical technologies. At Novatec, he was awarded an additional 12 US and foreign patents for inventions in these fields. He retired from Novatec in 1997 as Vice-President of Research and moved to Chula Vista. CA. He was a 68-year Member Emeritus of the American Chemical Society. Bob had an abiding passion for learning. He wanted to know how everything worked, from the fundamental particles of matter to the forces responsible for the creation and evolution of the universe, to the origin and basis of life itself. He often said that any day he learned something new, he was a happy camper. Bob was known to his friends and colleagues as someone who could explain many complex concepts in easy to understand, everyday language. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Hunter Williams and Alice (Dreuil) Williams; his brothers, Hunter and Clifford Williams; and his late wives, Betty (Lang) Williams (28 years), and Carolyn (Peterson) Williams, (30 years). He is survived by three first cousins, Emile Dreuil, Jolise Heiderhoff and Mary Lynn Murrett; and a grandniece, Lorian Petrisko. In lieu of a conventional funeral and burial, Bob wished to have a festive get-together of friends and family to celebrate his abundant life, followed by a ceremonial scattering of his ashes at sea off the coast of San Diego.