1937-2012

Richard Norman Loeppky passed away April 21, 2012. He was cherished by his family and friends and appreciated by his colleagues and students.

Richard was born in Lewiston, Aug. 2, 1937, to Norman and Helen Loeppky. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Idaho and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Michigan. After finishing his post-graduate work at the University of Illinois, he spent his entire academic career as a researcher and organic chemistry instructor at the University of Missouri.

A very generous man, he dedicated most of his life to cancer research. His work led to several discoveries that identified cancer-causing chemicals in retail products. For his excellence in cancer research, he received international recognition, the Founders Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the American Chemical Society and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the University of Idaho's Alumni Association and University of Idaho's College of Science. Recently, he worked with the European Union on the construction and revision of regulations related to cancer-causing chemicals.

He also had a passion for teaching the next generation of scientists and received the Purple Chalk Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Science Student Council that acknowledges teaching excellence of select faculty members. This was the award of which he was most proud.

He loved to travel the world, meet new people and take photographs of his surroundings. He had a very inquiring mind and was a gifted individual in so many ways.

Richard is survived by his daughter, Ann Loeppky-Finn (Robert); son Greg Loeppky (Nicole); granddaughters Keira Finn and Emma Loeppky; sister Marilyn French (Carter); niece Katie (Joel) Yates; and nephew, Ryan French.

He was truly loved and will be deeply missed.