CLEVELAND - Sidney Lauren, Executive Director of Coatings Research Group Inc. (CRGI) from 1972-1985, died at his home in Nashua, NH, on July 13, 2010. His expertise along with his dedication and devotion to the furtherance of the coatings industry will be greatly missed.

Lauren earned a B.S. in Chemistry in 1937 from the City College of New York and did graduate work in chemistry and chemical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and New York University.

He began his career in the coatings industry with the C.J. Osborne Co. of Linden, NJ. He then joined the Johns-Manville Corp. in 1954 and, after a short period with Reichhold Chemicals, returned to Johns-Manville for an additional 10 years, serving as Chief of the Finishes section. Upon retiring from CRGI and relocating to New England, Lauren worked with California Products Corp. in Cambridge, MA.

In the course of his career, Lauren dedicated many hours to educating those currently working in, or seeking to work in, the profession he loved. He served as an Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn for many years and constantly worked to attract gifted chemistry students to the coatings industry. He devoted many years to the Coatings Industry Education Foundation (CIEF), which supported college programs that directed students into the paint and coatings industry.

Lauren devoted countless hours to the advancement of the industry. A member for more than 50 years of the American Chemical Society, Lauren was also a member of the New York and Cleveland Paint Societies and was a member of the Cleveland Association of Research Directors. He was honored many times by the paint and coatings industry. Among his honors were the FSCT Heckel Award and the PaVaC Award given by the New York Paint Society. He was also chosen by the FSCT to give the Mattiello lecture.

Lauren’s 46-year marriage to his wife, Miriam, ended with her death in 1986. He is survived by two children.