Marvin Rausch
(1930-2008)
Marvin Dean "Marv" Rausch, well-known Massachusetts mineral collector, was born in Topeka, Kansas on June 27, 1930, the son of Ruby R. (Laing) and Grover H. Rausch. Marv earned his BS and PhD degrees from the University of Kansas, receiving his doctorate in organic chemistry in 1955. He then served in the Air Force as a Projects Officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio from 1955 until 1957. This was a period of active Air Force interest in organosilicon and organometallic chemistry. He remained in the Air Force reserves until his discharge as a Captain in 1967.
Marv traveled to Munich, Germany in 1957 as the second post-doctoral associate of the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Prof. Ernst Otto Fischer (1918-2007). Upon his return from Germany he joined the Central Research Department of the Monsanto Chemical Corporation. In September of 1963 he joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and became Full Professor in 1968, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2001. He remained active in the field of organometallic chemistry throughout his career. He was one of the first Chairmen of the Organometallic Subdivision of the American Chemical Society's Division of Inorganic Chemistry. Marv was also the Permanent International Secretary of the International Conference on Organometallic Chemistry.
Marv's favorite avocation was mineralogy and he built one of the best private mineral collections in New England, specializing in very fine cabinet-size specimens. An amethyst specimen from Veracruz, Mexico appears as an emblem on all of the mineral labels for his collection. Marv attended many mineral shows, including those in Detroit, Tucson, Denver and Munich.
Marv died May 2, 2008 in Amherst. He is survived by his wife, Jane (Meyer) Rausch; a daughter, two grandchildren, and his first wife, Carol Kreischer of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
References:
ANONYMOUS (2008) Obituary: Marvin D. Rausch, 1930-2008. Springfield Republican, May 5.
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[Citation format for this entry:
WILSON, Wendell E. (2010)
Mineralogical Record
Biographical Archive, at www.mineralogicalrecord.com.]
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Prof. Marvin D. Rausch |
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