Norbert Neuss

Norbert Neuss A native of Krakow, Poland, died on Saturday, November 11, 2006 at the age of 87. Dr. Neuss immigrated to the United States in 1949 and moved to Indianapolis in 1951. Neuss received his university education in France. He joined the Polish Army in Paris, France as a volunteer after the German attack on Poland. After a short war in France, Neuss entered neutral Switzerland with his unit. He received an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1947 at the University of Zurich, Switzerland while working under the Nobel Prize winner, Paul Karrer. While in Switzerland, he met and married Elisabeth Osterwalder. Dr. Neuss did post doctoral work at the University of Bern (Switzerland) before immigrating to the United States in 1949 with wife Elisabeth to work as a Research Associate at Northwestern University. It wasn't until 1951 when Dr. Neuss moved to Indianapolis to take a position at Eli Lilly and Company where he completed his career as Research Advisor. During Dr. Neuss's career at Eli Lilly, he authored about 100 scientific papers, several chapters in books and numerous patents. In addition to his scientific career, he was a tireless supporter of the arts in Indianapolis. As co-founder and President of the Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis, Dr. Neuss pioneered classical music on radio, for which he and the Fine Arts Society received the George Peabody Award in 1986 and celebrated 25 years of continuous broadcasting of classical music on radio. Dr. Neuss was a member of the Board of the Ensemble Music Society and member of the Fine Arts Committee of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Other cultural contributions and achievements include "Totem" a 33 foot sculpture by Rinaldo Paluzzi and featured in White River State Park; The Metro Bus "The Spirit of Mozart" marking the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death; and the restoration of the 1954 mural by Garo Antreasian, now on display at the Chilren's Museum of Indianapolis. In 1983, Dr. Neuss received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Marian College of Indianapolis, IN. In 1984, Dr. Neuss received an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Indianapolis. Dr. Neuss is survived by his wife of sixty years, Elisabeth Neuss, his son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Gwyneth Neuss, his son-in-law Larry Bajor, and 4 grandchildren. He is predeceased by his daughter Karin Bajor. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis P.0. Box 1706 Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-1706. A memorial service will be held at All Souls Unitarian Church 5808 E. 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46226 on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at 1:30 pm. Please visit: www.leppertmortuary.com where you may sign Dr. Neuss' online guestbook, share a memory or make a memorial contribution. Arrangements by Leppert Mortuary, Nora Chapel.