Jack H. Stocker, an emeritus professor of chemistry Times Picayune ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Jack H. Stocker, an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of New Orleans and one of the school's founding faculty members, died of a stroke July 8. He was 85. A pioneer of UNO's chemistry faculty, Mr. Stocker was instrumental in developing research efforts and graduate education programs during a 30-year career at the university that began in 1958 when the college was called Louisiana State University of New Orleans. He was chairman of the Louisiana section of the American Chemical Society at the college until his death. Mr. Stocker was born May 3, 1924, in Detroit. He received a bachelor's degree from Olivet College in Michigan and a master's degree from the University of Indiana before earning a doctorate from Tulane University in 1955 with a specialization in organic chemistry An avid reader of science fiction, Mr. Stocker had accumulated a personal library of more than 50,000 books and recordings since the late 1930s, but his collection was lost in Hurricane Katrina. A chronicle of his extensive library was published in Chemistry and Engineering News. Friends and colleagues said he always tried to share his collection of books with others and was an active member in the New Orleans Public Library and Jefferson Parish Library organizations. He published his own book, "Chemistry and Science Fiction, " in 1998. "Dr. Stocker took pleasure in speaking to a variety of interesting aspects of chemical literature, " said his longtime friend Ray Sweany, also a professor of chemistry at UNO. "He retired from teaching in 1990 but didn't fully retire until his death." In addition to teaching and collecting literature, Mr. Stocker was a founding member of the Friends of UNO and a faculty sponsor of UNO's student science fiction/fantasy club, Survivors of the Big Bang. He was also a member of the Krewe of Endymion and rode in the early 1980s. "It's almost impossible to walk into any medical establishment in New Orleans and not be able to find someone who had him as an adviser or a professor in organic chemistry, " said his son, Daniel. "Anytime we went to the doctor, people would come up to say hello to him and pay their respects to him. He left a mark on an entire generation of medical professionals in this area." Survivors include two sons, Daniel and David Stocker, and a grandson.