Obituaries : Pioneering Chemist Carl Shipp Marvel
Pioneering chemist Carl Shipp Marvel, winner of many of the nation’s top scientific awards, died Monday in a Tucson hospital at the age of 94.
Marvel, who taught several generations of budding chemists at the University of Arizona, worked daily at the university’s laboratories in Tucson until as recently as last summer.
Marvel led in the development of synthetic polymers during World War II, including the material that became the main component of automobile tires. He was recognized around the world as a leader in the development of plastics.
In 1986 President Reagan presented him with the National Medal of Science. In 1956 he was awarded the nation’s top prize for chemistry, the Priestly Medal, from the American Chemical Society. He served as the society’s president in 1945.
According to a spokesman for the University of Arizona, Marvel died of natural causes.
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