JOHN WISE

WISE--John J. (Jack), a retired Vice President of Research at Mobil Research and Development Corporation for 44 years, died on Sunday, June 13, 2021 in Princeton, NJ. The cause was complications from Parkinson's disease. He was born in Cambridge, MA on February 28, 1932. Jack graduated from Tufts University with a BS in Chemical Engineering and from MIT with a PhD in Chemistry. He worked at the forefront of commercialization of new technology for all facets of the petroleum industry ranging from how to find oil in the ground to making finished fuels and lubricants. He was responsible for the development and commercialization in New Zealand of technology for the conversion of natural gas into gasoline, a major advance in synthetic fuel technology. He also developed new technology now widely used for the production of the chemical intermediates for manufacturing polyester and styrene. He co-chaired a study between the auto and oil industries that developed information in a massive multi-year research study on how to minimize air pollution by reformulating gasoline and diesel fuel. This data was used by the EPA to set fuel standards used to implement the Clean Air Act. He received the Gold Medal from the Industrial Research Institute for excellence in research management. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Additionally, the Nobel Committee recognized his work as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Jack married the late Rosemary Seary Bishop in 1967. They lived in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Texas before settling in Princeton, NJ. He is survived by his two daughters, Susannah Scovil Wise and Jean Porter Wise, one grandson, Alexander Wise Philbrick; and lately renewed an old friendship with Mary Masland Adams, who became a loving companion for eight years. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to LIFE Inc., 550 Lincoln Rd. Extension, Hyannis, MA 02601.