Cover photo for Frederick W. Bollinger's Obituary
Frederick W. Bollinger Profile Photo
1918 Frederick 2005

Frederick W. Bollinger

August 5, 1918 — November 28, 2005

Dr. Frederick W. Bollinger, age 87 died on Monday, November 28, 2005 in Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ from complications from Alzheimers disease.
Dr. Bollinger was born on August 5, 1918 in Tyndall, South Dakota. He graduated from the University of South Dakota with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1939. He completed a M.S. in chemistry at Washington State University in 1941 and had started his doctoral studies at the University of Chicago when he was called into service during World War II. In 1943 he earned an M.S. in Meteorology from the California Institute of Technology. During the war he served as a Captain in the Army Air Corps as a meteorologist.
In 1945 Dr. Bollinger married Rita C. Handly in Houston, Texas. Following his discharge from the Army Air Corps he returned to school and completed his Ph.D. at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Dr. and Mrs. Bollinger moved to NJ in 1951 where he was employed for 36 years as a Senior Research Chemist at Merck & Company in Rahway, NJ.
While employed at Merck he contributed to modern medicine by co-inventing the primary compound of the drug Sinemet which has been used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease since May 1975. He was also responsible for the development of other compounds and received several patents for them.
He was active in the North Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society and served as the section chair. He was a member of the ACS for over 50 years and attended numerous conferences and seminars both as a member and as a member emeritus.
He was a long-time resident of Westfield where he served as a Deacon and Elder of the Presbyterian Church of Westfield. He was active with the Boy Scouts for many years and participated in the local Republican Party. He also enjoyed square dancing with his wife.
Following his retirement he was active in the Genealogical Society of the West Fields. He volunteered to help prisoners with their Graduate Equivalency Exams at the Rahway Prison and assisted with the activities of the Westfield Day Care Center. he was active in helping with various groups that were involved with Parkinsons disease.
Dr. Bollinger traveled extensively with his wife during his retirement, visiting numerous countries and continents. They made several trips to the People's Republic of China where he participated in the International Technical Exchange.
Dr. Bollinger was predeceased in death by his wife of 60 years Rita C. Bollinger. He is survived by his three sons Frederick W. Jr., Roger, and Bruce. He is also survived by his brother Gerald Bollinger, his sister Mary Alice Searl and his granddaughters Jessica and Victoria Bollinger.
In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may be made to the Presbyterian Church of Westfield, 140 Mountain Ave., Westfield, NJ 07090.
A memorial service will be held in the main sanctuary at the Presbyterian Church of Westfield on Saturday, December 3, 2005 at 2 pm.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Frederick W. Bollinger, please visit our flower store.

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