Return to Previous Press Release
Enter your name and a friend's email address in the fields below and click "Submit" to email this Press Release to a friend.
Your message will look like this:
[YOUR NAME HERE] thought you might be interested in this story from the University of Rochester.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Sherwood jonathan.sherwood@rochester.edu
585.273.4726
September 1, 2009
Frank P. Buff, emeritus professor in the Department of Chemistry, died in Rochester on July 1, 2009, at the age of 85.
Buff was on faculty at the University of Rochester from 1950 until his retirement in 1994. Born in Munich, Germany in 1924, Buff received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry and Physics with highest honors from University of California, Berkeley in 1944. A World War II veteran, he served in the U.S. Army in intelligence from 1944-1946. Following military service, he worked in 1946 as a junior chemist at Shell Development Company prior to continuing his doctoral and postdoctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology. There he earned his doctorate in chemistry in 1949, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship awarded by the Atomic Energy Commission from 1949-50.
Buff published numerous seminal papers in the fields of physical chemistry and physics, and in 1995 his work was included among the 1,000 most influential papers of the 20th Century as chosen by the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics. He was a 60-year member of the American Chemical Society, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, the American Institute of Chemists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and fellow of the American Physical Society.
He is further remembered for contributing to the development of a long-range plan for the department that eventually led to the construction of Hutchison Hall and a significant growth of the faculty of the Department of Chemistry in the late 60's and early 70's.
Buff is survived by his wife of 52 years, Iva, and his two daughters and their families. Buff donated his body to the University of Rochester Medical School. The family has requested that any donations in Buff\'s memory be made to the Visiting Nurse Service, 2180 Empire Boulevard, Webster, NY 14580.
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery.
PR 3429, MS 1915