Joseph Kennedy (professor) explained

Joseph P. Kennedy (18 May 1928 - 21 July 2024[1]) was a Distinguished Professor of Polymer Science and Chemistry at the University of Akron,[2] noted particularly for inventing a polymer coating for a drug-tipped stent that is highly compatible to human tissue,[3] and that was successfully commercialized by Boston Scientific[4] and credited for saving the lives of 6 million patients.[5]

Personal

Joseph Kenedi spent his youth in Budapest, Hungary during World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. His father was killed by the Nazis, and his mother was imprisoned by communists. In 1948, he was kicked out of the college where he earned his first degree in chemistry, "for being too bourgeois".[6]

At age 19, he fled to Austria as an illegal immigrant. He gained citizenship upon earning his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Vienna, and he then completed postgraduate work at the Sorbonne in France.

In 1954, he immigrated to be close to family in Canada, and to take another postdoc position in Montreal. There he met Ingrid, who later became his wife.[7]

Following many years of success in his field, Kennedy accepted an Honorary Doctorate from Kossuth University in 1989. He was also elected a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1993.

Career

Kennedy's first employment in America was in 1957 with the chemical company Celanese in Summit, N.J. He later joined Exxon, where he apprenticed under Robert M. Thomas,[8] and held a series of positions with increasing responsibility.

His interest in pure science eventually led him to seek a position in academia. In 1970, he accepted a position with the University of Akron, where he helped to develop the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering.

Awards

Notes and References

  1. News: Beaven . Erin Pustay . Charles Goodyear Medal winner Joseph Kennedy dies . 8 August 2024 . Rubber News . Crain . 7 August 2024.
  2. News: Good News, June 18: University of Akron honors longtime polymer science professor on his 90th birthday . 2 February 2024 . Akron Beacon Journal . Beacon Journal . 17 June 2018.
  3. Book: Kennedy . J. P. . Puskas . J. E. . Kaszas . G. . Hager . W. G. . U.S. Patent No. 4,946,899. . 1990 . U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. . Washington, DC . 1 August 2024.
  4. News: Smith. Robert L.. Joseph Kennedy, Akron's King of Polymers, proves inventors are young at heart. 24 Sep 2014. Plain Dealer. September 6, 2012.
  5. Book: Rose . Emma Kaufmann . Saving Six Million: A Holocaust Memoir . 25 March 2022 . 979-8439085682 . Barnes & Noble Press . 30 July 2024.
  6. Kennedy. Joseph P.. Living Cationic Polymerization of Olefins. How Did the Discovery Come About?. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem.. 1999. 37. 14. 2285–2293. 24 Sep 2014. 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0518(19990715)37:14<2285::AID-POLA1>3.0.CO;2-P. 1999JPoSA..37.2285K. free.
  7. News: Kaufman . Jane . Author Rose to discuss 'Saving Six Million: A Holocaust Memoir' April 26 . 30 July 2024 . Cleveland Jewish News . Cleveland Jewish Publication Company . Apr 18, 2022.
  8. Kennedy . J.P. . Goodyear Medalist Lecture: Rubber Research in the Service of Mankind . Rubber Chemistry and Technology . 2008 . 81 . 2 . 169–181 . 10.5254/1.3548201.

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