Frank Sherwood ‘Sherry’ Rowland. 28 June 1927—10 March 2012

Abstract

Sherry Rowland was a chemist who made substantial contributions in the fields of radiochemistry and atmospheric science. He is best known for his research on the stratosphere as, with Mario Molina, he wrote the seminal paper describing how chlorofluorocarbons deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, noting that any ozone depletion would be accompanied by a consequent increase in ultraviolet radiation at the earth's surface. In 1995 he, along with Paul Crutzen, was awarded the Nobel Prize for this ground-breaking work. Sherry's career was much more rounded than this brief précis suggests. His various roles included: manager of a semi-professional baseball team while in graduate school; founding chairman of the Chemistry Department at the University of California at Irvine (UCI); tireless and effective advocate for the need to take action on chlorofluorocarbon emissions and climate change; Foreign Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences; and last, but certainly not least, devoted husband, father and grandfather.