Jack Malone, past chair

Leo Jackson (Jack) Malone, Jr

Leo Jackson (Jack) Malone, Jr., Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Saint Louis University, passed away on April 22. He was 85. Malone served as treasurer of the Saint Louis Section of the ACS in 1976 and its chair in 1981. Dr. Lol Barton, who preceded Malone as chair of the Section, recalls that the ACS had scheduled a national meeting in St Louis for 1984 and then cancelled it. Jack stepped in and fought until the meeting was reinstated; it turned out to be a real success.

Malone joined the faculty at SLU in January of 1965 after completing his PhD at the University of Michigan with Robert Parry, a boron chemist who was a former ACS president and a recipient of the Society’s Priestly Award. He taught general chemistry and inorganic chemistry for 40 years, until his retirement in 2005, and was the author of Basic Concepts of Chemistry, a successful text for introductory college chemistry and AP high school courses that went through nine editions.

Jack was active in Saint Louis University activities. He, with Profs Tom Layloff and George Tipton, SJ, of the chemistry department, realized there needed to be a better system for advising and recommending pre-health students. They put together the preprofessional health service with Fr Tipton as the first advisor. The office was initially in Rooms 201 and 202 of Monsanto Hall. He held administrative positions as associate dean and interim dean of the graduate school. He was involved with the organization of the faculty senate and served as one of its early presidents.

Jack was passionate about nature, and spent many weekends at his property “the farm” in rural Missouri, teaching his children and grandchildren how to fish. He is survived by his wife, Meg Richardson, four children, and eleven grandchildren.