Penn State chemistry department remembers professors emeriti Lloyd Jackman and John Lowe
In Memoriam
The Department of Chemistry expresses deepest condolences to the families and friends of two renowned chemists and esteemed colleagues and mentors, Lloyd Jackman and John Lowe, on their recent passings. Lloyd and John were both valuable members of the Penn State community and will be remembered for their significant contributions to chemistry research and education.
Lloyd Jackman, professor emeritus of chemistry, passed away at age 97 on August 30th, 2023. He was a member of our faculty for 24 years, from 1967 to 1991. He is remembered as being as an outstanding organic chemist and spectroscopist who wrote one of the first books on applications of NMR spectroscopy for organic chemistry. Our NMR facility is named after Lloyd and his wife Marie, who lived at Foxdale Village in State College.
"Lloyd was an amazing mentor, colleague, and friend to me and all members of his research group," said Jackie Bortiatynski, a former member of the Jackman Group. "We called him 'Prof' with reverence because we felt it was an honor and a privilege to be a member of his group. He treated us like family and taught us so much more than how to be a researcher. He was respected by everyone and provided support and guidance to many in our chemistry community at Penn State. We are better chemists and people because of the time we were able to spend with him."
John Lowe, professor emeritus of chemistry, passed away at age 87 on September 16th, 2023. He was a member of our faculty for over 30 years, from the late 1960s to 2000. He is remembered as being an outstanding theorist and educator. He wrote a textbook on Quantum Chemistry that is still used in classes today. He was also known for connecting scientific ideas to concrete applications in the real world and making chemistry more tangible with live demonstrations.
"He was the finest teacher I’ve known," said Department Head Phil Bevilacqua. "John immediately befriended me when I joined the faculty in 1997. He attended my lectures and provided keen advice and insight. He was a long time member of the chemistry education group known as 'The Gang'. He and his wife Nancy remained friends to me and Joanne long after his retirement and will be dearly missed."