Max G. Gergel (July 24, 1921 – July 5, 2017) was an American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and

art collector A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

. He graduated with a BS in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

from the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

in 1942 and founded the Columbia Organic Chemical Company in 1944; he was a cousin of the Hon. Richard Mark Gergel, a Judge of the U. S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. He died in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

, on July 5, 2017, aged 96. The first volume of his autobiography ''Excuse Me Sir, Would You Like to Buy a Kilo of Isopropyl Bromide?'' was published in 1977. Research chemist

Derek Lowe Derek Christopher Lowe (born June 1, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. During his career, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland I ...

described the book as an "extraordinary memoir".

Published works

* ''Excuse Me Sir, Would You Like to Buy a Kilo of Isopropyl Bromide?'' * ''The Ageless Gergel''

References

American chemists University of South Carolina alumni 1921 births 2017 deaths {{US-chemist-stub