OBITUARY: William D. Emmons; Noted Researcher at Rohm and Haas Co.
PHILADELPHIA - William D. Emmons, retired director of Research for Rohm and Haas Company's Polymers, Resins and Monomers business and its Pioneering Research exploratory unit, died December 8, 2001, following a brief illness. He was 77.
Dr. Emmons is credited with several breakthrough innovations, and was the author of more than 150 patents and papers during his 38-year career at Rohm and Haas, the company said. He is described as a driving force in the research and development of new urethane rheology modifiers that contributed to significant advances in the performance of water-based acrylic paint. He also led early research on a variety of opaque polymers, including Rohm and Haas's Hollow Sphere Polymer technology. His work led to improvements in premium-quality paints and paper coatings, the company said.