I think we should plan a Memorial Symposium for Chicago!!  We will miss
Steve!!!

Frankie Wood-Black
Cell 580-761-3703
-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of
Ralph Stuart
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 11:26 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu
Subject: [DCHAS-L] A Member's Death

Of interest to the division because Steve is a former chair of the  
CHAS Division and was active on the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety...

STEPHEN SICHAK, SR.

The Chicago Section has lost another wise, talented and vital  
colleague from its ranks. Stephen Sichak, Sr. passed away on  
Thursday, May, 11, 2006 in his sleep. This leaves a void in many of  
our lives. He will be greatly missed by his friends. His kind and  
patient spirit was evident to many of us as we saw him do what he  
enjoyed best, chemical safety with a passion.

Steve was born on September 2, 1928 on the east side of Chicago. He  
attended St. Louis University where he received his B.S. degree in  
Chemistry. He also received a B.S. in microbiology from the  
University of Indiana. Steve began his career as a senior chemist  
with the Toni Division of the Gillette Company in 1956. In 1967, he  
was appointed Laboratory Safety Director. His career ladder included  
technical coordinator of product safety at Dr. Scholl, safety  
supervisor for ARCO and finally joining Argonne National Laboratories  
as a senior safety engineer. He remained there for ten years until  
his retirement in 1996. Steve authored and published "The Laboratory  
Safety Deskbook, I: A Guide to OSHA Standards".

Steve joined the American Chemical Society in 1960. He became active  
in the Chicago Section in 1964 on the staff of the Chemical Bulletin,  
where he served eleven years and one year as business manager. Also  
during that first year, he was active on the House Committee. His  
true interest and passion began in 1972, when he chaired the Safety  
Committee for the next three years. Steve continued to be a member  
Safety Committee either in the role of chair or co-chair, training  
others and under its new name, Environmental Health and Safety. Steve  
had also been involved with Chemistry Day since the beginning; acting  
in both the role of safety and an extremely active member of the  
committee. In 1984-85 he was elected Chair-Elect of the Section, and  
succeeded to Chair in 1985-86 and Past Chair in 1986-87. He held many  
roles in the Section including Vice Chair (81-82), Policy Char  
(81-82), Office Affairs and Budget Director (81-84), Professional  
Relations (72-73) and Nominating Committee (02). Steve has also  
served the Section faithfully as a director for fifteen years and as  
an alternate councilor from 74-79 and finally as a councilor from  
1980 until his passing.

As seriously as he took his duties to the Section, he was also  
extremely active at the National level. Steve represented the Section  
as a councilor for twenty five years, at which time he served on  
Chemical Safety (Defunct) as a committee associate until the new  
Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) was formed. He was a committee  
associate on CCS from 1988-1991 and full member of the committee from  
1994 through 2003. Steve became a consultant to the committee in  
2006. Steve also served as a member on Constitution and By-Laws from  
2002 until 2003. He was active in the Chemical Health & Safety  
Division from 1993 to 2003 and chaired that Division in 1994. He was  
also a long time member of the Division of Professional Relations and  
active on the newsletter committee from 1979 to 2003 and a member-at- 
large from 2001 to 2002.

Steve received the Distinguished Service Award from the Chicago  
Section in 1994 and the Chicago Association of Technological  
Societies Merit Award in 1991. He was a member of the Executive  
Committee R&D Section National Safety Council and the National Fire  
Protection Association. He was chair of the Midwest Chapter of  
Cosmetic Chemists in 1976 and president of the Toastmaster  
International Argonne Club in 1990.

Steve's other love besides the Section and his family was his church.  
He was an extraordinary minister at St. James in Arlington Heights  
and on the Parish Council for 3 years. He loved to cook, with veal  
parmesan being one of his specialties. He leaves behind his devoted  
and loving wife Peg, 13 children and 16 grandchildren. Our prayers go  
out to his family.

FRAN KRAVITZ

Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post