Larry Kevan, the Cullen Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of Houston since 1980, died from a heart attack at his home on 4 June 2002. He was working out on the treadmill, reading, and listening to music all at once. Those who knew him will appreciate that he died as he lived: actively pursuing several things simultaneously.
Born 12 December 1938 in Kansas City, Missouri, Larry graduated from the University of Kansas in 1960 with a BS in chemistry. He received his PhD in 1963 from UCLA, where he studied radiation chemistry with Nobel laureate Willard F. Libby. After pursuing postdoctoral research in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Larry took a post as an instructor of chemistry at the University of Chicago in 1963. In 1965, he returned to the University of Kansas, where he remained for 4 years before moving to Wayne State University. He spent the next 11 years there before joining the University of Houston.
Larry’s scientific contributions principally involved applications of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to problems in materials science, chemistry, biology, self-assembly, imaging, and polymers. His research interests in the early days of his career mainly involved the application and extension of various magnetic resonance techniques such as electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR), and electron spin echo to problems in radiation chemistry and physics. In addition to extensive experimental contributions to radiation chemistry and the electronic and conductive properties of molecular solids, his groups at Kansas and Wayne State University in the late 1960s and 1970s made significant theoretical contributions to the electronic structure of the trapped electron in disordered systems. Larry’s early work in radiation chemistry led him into the study of ion-molecule reactions using tandem mass spectrometry and ion cyclotron resonance spectrometry on both positive and negative ions.
In recent years, he had turned to problems in heterogeneous catalysis, photoionization processes of molecules in micelles and vesicles, and bulk solvation geometry of paramagnetic species. In particular, his extensive EPR studies, coupled with the advances he made in the application and analysis of electron spin echo envelope modulation in disordered solids, were fundamental in elucidating transition metal-ion interactions with adsorbate molecules in mesoporous materials. Larry had an amazing ability to see the potential value of introducing a technique in one field into a new area of research.
As a reflection of Larry’s positive influence, a great number of students, postdoctoral fellows, and scientists who were attracted to his laboratory were inspired by him to continue their own research in related fields. The tremendous impact that Larry had on chemical applications of EPR was clear: A rather large percentage of the participants at a small EPR meeting in Warsaw, Poland, in 1996 had worked in Larry’s lab at one time or another. Participants gathered from Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Sweden, and the US, and were honored as we posed for photographs with our former mentor. The Warsaw meeting seemed to be a microcosm of the situation in the worldwide community of scientists who practice chemical applications of EPR. Larry’s direct contributions were enormous, but the indirect benefits of the symbiotic relationships that developed among all who came under his tutelage have been great indeed in both breadth and depth.
Larry served on the editorial boards of many journals in the areas of chemical physics, radiation sciences, and magnetic resonance. In 2000, capping a career in which he received numerous awards, the International ESR Society gave him its Silver Award during a special symposium session in his honor.
Larry’s phenomenal success may be traced in large part to his ability to nurture relationships with people from around the world. He was both approachable and open to new ideas, while still providing, at the same time, a steady course at the helm. He used his extraordinary capacity to undertake many tasks while making colleagues feel as if they were at the center of his research program. Larry was unsurpassed as a teacher, especially in one-on-one situations. He welcomed into his lab those who wished to learn, and inspired them to do their best.
Many of Larry’s former colleagues have reported that they would not have achieved their full potential without his influence. By his example, he taught the crucial qualities of organization, perseverance, and hard work, and demanded more from himself than from us.
We remember Larry for his aggressive approach to all aspects of life and his dedication to many causes outside of science. He loved and appreciated music, live theater, art, and ballet, and he was an extremely knowledgeable student of literature. He could advise you which wine to buy after discussing how to solve a tough problem in physics or chemistry. A sportsman, he was an avid sailor and diver who led charters to island groups from the Adriatic Sea to the South Pacific and from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of California. He was a proud member of the Level-70 racing circuit, skippering weekly races and the tough yearly race from Galveston, Texas, to Veracruz, Mexico. He skied and played tennis, handball, or anything else that was proposed.
Larry was scrupulously honest and approached everything he did with the highest level of integrity. He lived life to the absolute fullest, even to that last moment on the treadmill. He was an inspiration to all of us who knew him. We miss him sorely, but remember him with joy.
