NICHOLAS J. TURRO ’60

The William P. Schweitzer Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University, died Nov. 24, 2012, at age 74. He was a member of Delta Sigma, and he received his degree with high honors and with distinction in chemistry. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, he received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology. He had been on the faculty at Columbia University since 1964. He also held professorships at the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering.

Widely recognized nationally and internationally as a leader and pioneer in the area of supramolecular chemistry, organic photochemistry, molecular spectroscopy, host-guest chemistry, and magnetic effects on photochemical reactions, he was the author of two textbooks, one of which is considered the “bible” of the field, and numerous articles.

Posthumously, he received the Inaugural George S. Hammond Award of the Inter-American Photochemical Society, given in recognition of the breadth and depth of his many crucial contributions to the photochemical sciences and his singular impact on worldwide dissemination of photochemical knowledge through his many collaborations and his pioneering textbooks. Among those who survive are his wife, Sandra Misenti Turro, two daughters, five grandchildren, and two sisters.