Eugene P. Goldberg ’54 PhD

Eugene P. Goldberg ’54 PhD, of Tavares, Fla.; Feb. 15. He was a professor at the Univ.of Florida and a research chemist. As a research chemist at General Electric in the 1950s, he was a co-inventor of Lexan polycarbonate, served as associate director of the Borg-Warner Research Center in the 1960s, and then spent nearly a decade as director of Xerox’s Chemistry Research Laboratory in Webster, N.Y. In 1975 he joined the Univ. of Florida faculty as the biomedical engineering program of distinction professor, helping establish one of the first academic biomaterials programs. He was awarded more than 100 U.S. and foreign patents and published more than 300 technical peer-reviewed papers about organic and polymer chemistry and biomedical materials science. He was recognized by the National Science Foundation as a faculty mentor for minority graduate students. Over the years he was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Florida Scientist of the Year in 1987. He was named the Genzyme Professor for Biomaterials Science & Engineering in 1999 and was a fellow of the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering and the International College of Fellows for Biomaterials Science & Engineering. He served on several science, engineering, and biomedical advisory boards and more than a half-dozen technical journal editorial boards, in addition to regularly testifying as an expert witness concerning the safety of implanted biomaterials. He was an invited speaker at technical conferences around the world and held visiting appointments at academic and technical institutions in Israel, the U.S.S.R., and Japan. He enjoyed SCUBA diving, traveling, sailing, music, and family reunions. He is survived by two sons and their wives; seven grandchildren; and a brother.