Dear Colleagues of the CAST division,
I am deeply saddened to inform you that our good friend and colleague, John Congalidis, passed away last Thursday morning at Christiana Hospital, near Wilmington, Delaware. As some of you know, John had been dealing with health issues for much of last year and his situation deteriorated rapidly over the past three weeks.
After receiving his PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT with me as his advisor, John embarked on what would become a highly productive career at DuPont starting in 1981. He spent seven years in the Polymer Products business and then moved to CR&D, where he went on to become a Research Supervisor in Meyrin, Switzerland, from 1995-1999. When he returned to the U.S., John became a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and then Chief of Staff for CS&E in 2005. Over the past eight years, John executed several corporate roles at DuPont with tremendous dedication and keen planning skills. At the same time, he continued productive research programs in the areas of polymer reaction engineering and modeling. He collaborated with numerous scientists across CR&D and several Business Units, and he received Engineering Excellence Awards in 1994, 1996, and 2000. Last year, John was elected Fellow of the AIChE and, along with his long-time research collaborator, John Richards, received the 2012 AIChE Computing Practice Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in the application of chemical engineering to computing and systems technology.
We will all remember his devotion to family, friends, and work, and his unfailing desire to help others. John will be sorely missed. For those of you that live within reasonable driving distance to Wilmington Delaware, the service will take place this coming Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. at the following place:
CHANDLER FUNERAL HOMES, 2506 CONCORD PIKE, WILMINGTON, DEL. 19803
http://www.chandlerfuneralhome.com/index.shtml (you will find directions)
If you knew John personally and wish to send condolences to his sister, please send them to me and I will forward them. Your thoughts and preyers are the most import to the family.
In the case you wish to make a donation in his memory the preferred charity is the American Cancer Society, (http://www.cancer.org/research/) Please designate your gift towards Cancer Research.
With deep sorrow,
Christos
_______________________
CG
Professor Christos GEORGAKIS
Chemical and Biological Engineering
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Phone: 617-627-2573; http://ase.tufts.edu/sri
|
