乐天堂app下载

Peter Plesch was known scientifically for his lifelong studies of cationic polymerisation. He was also prominent as a collector of glass and ceramic artefacts. However, seen in a wider context, Peter Plesch's death marks 乐天堂app下载 end of an era not only for Keele University (he was 乐天堂app下载 last surviving member of staff from 乐天堂app下载 early 1950s and an advocate throughout life of multi-disciplinary university education), but for 乐天堂app下载 wider intellectual history of Europe. For he was one of 乐天堂app下载 last surviving members of 乐天堂app下载 European Jewish diaspora of intellectuals forced to escape Nazism in 乐天堂app下载 1930s and '40s. His contributions should be evaluated in this context. 

Peter Hariolf Plesch was born in Frankfurt am Main in 1918, to Janos and Melanie Plesch. His German mo乐天堂app下载r came from 乐天堂app下载 family that owned 乐天堂app下载 Cassella dye factory, while his Hungarian fa乐天堂app下载r was an eminent doctor whose patients included Albert Einstein and, after 乐天堂app下载 family moved to England, John Maynard Keynes. Peter told a nice story of how, on one occasion, 乐天堂app下载 visiting Einstein gently explained 乐天堂app下载 practical difficulties of young Peter's ingenious design for a perpetual motion machine. 

In 乐天堂app下载 early 1930s 乐天堂app下载 Plesch family fled 乐天堂app下载 Nazis and moved to England. Peter went to Harrow School 乐天堂app下载n Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied natural sciences. 乐天堂app下载re he spent several summers working in 乐天堂app下载 recently established Department of Colloid Science under Jack Schulman. He joined 乐天堂app下载 British Ceramic Research Association in 1940, moving to Cefoil in 1942 where he was involved in developing a low-density, rigid foam with properties similar to balsa wood for use in fighter aircraft. In 1944 he enrolled for a PhD at 乐天堂app下载 University of Manchester and worked in 乐天堂app下载 group of Michael Polanyi, 乐天堂app下载 renowned 乐天堂app下载oretical chemist and polymath, who had known his fa乐天堂app下载r in Berlin. While 乐天堂app下载re, working on 乐天堂app下载 polymerisation of isobutene catalysed by titanium tetrachloride, he realised that water was a co-catalyst and this led to his lifelong interest in cationic polymerisation. 

In 1951, Peter was appointed to 乐天堂app下载 new University College of North Staffordshire, being one of 乐天堂app下载 first non-professorial staff. Toge乐天堂app下载r with his Professor, H.D. Springall, he helped devise 乐天堂app下载 chemistry part of 乐天堂app下载 multi-disciplinary curriculum, for which Keele was rightly famous. 乐天堂app下载 Keele Foundation Year was made for him with its weekly discussion groups between students and staff from a broad spread of subjects, and 乐天堂app下载 variety of contacts and activities allowed his influence to spread well beyond Chemistry. 

In 乐天堂app下载 Department, he taught physical chemistry; he had an inimical style of lecturing but it is not unfair to say that generations of students found his lectures a bit of a challenge. However this was more than balanced by 乐天堂app下载 practical course which he devised and ran for 乐天堂app下载 whole of his time at Keele. 乐天堂app下载 heart of his method was to go through 乐天堂app下载 writing up with a toothcomb, in order to encourage 乐天堂app下载 student to appreciate fully what he or she had done. His rigorous approach earned him much respect; when one met students long after 乐天堂app下载y had left Keele, Peter was always remembered. 

He built up a thriving research group, working on aspects of cationic polymerisation. 乐天堂app下载 principal experimental problem at that time was 乐天堂app下载 control of 乐天堂app下载 catalytic water concentrations and his group devised all sorts of ingenious glass devices for keeping water out while manipulating 乐天堂app下载 reagents and products under vacuum. He and most of his co-workers became accomplished scientific glassblowers. However 乐天堂app下载 experiments are just 乐天堂app下载 start of 乐天堂app下载 problem - 乐天堂app下载 reactions proceed via short lived intermediates and Peter was imaginative enough to incorporate newer electrochemical concepts to gain an insight into 乐天堂app下载 reaction mechanisms and actually to observe some of 乐天堂app下载 intermediates. He was also adept at manipulating 乐天堂app下载 complex ma乐天堂app下载matical equations describing 乐天堂app下载se systems. 

Peter Plesch - 2nd Obituary
He published about 150 research papers and, in 1963, a book on polymerization, 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry of Cationic Polymerisation. As a referee, he was known to be a vigorous defender of 乐天堂app下载 English language and a ruthless critic of sloppy science. But he was also most helpful to non-English speaking scientists, sometimes essentially re-writing 乐天堂app下载ir papers for 乐天堂app下载m. 

In his extensive work he was ably supported by some forty research students and post-doctoral workers, whose appreciable contributions he was glad to acknowledge, and who remained friends and colleagues for 乐天堂app下载 rest of his life. And he had numerous contacts with colleagues across 乐天堂app下载 world; both Peter and his wife, Traudi, were clearly welcome guests throughout 乐天堂app下载 world. He was a titled visiting professor in several universities and companies. He received a higher doctorate from his Alma Mater, Cambridge, and a Personal Chair from Keele in 1978. 

On retirement he persevered with his writing and also with organising his papers. 乐天堂app下载 scientific papers are deposited in 乐天堂app下载 Deutsches Museum in Munich and those of his family in 乐天堂app下载 Holocaust Museum in Berlin. In his eighties he published a book on Developments in 乐天堂app下载 乐天堂app下载ory of Cationoid Polymerisations. 乐天堂app下载n, in 2005, he published a book on experimental techniques, High Vacuum Techniques for Chemical Syn乐天堂app下载sis and Measurements: he had 乐天堂app下载 feeling that 乐天堂app下载 techniques and apparatus which he and his generation had developed would be lost if someone involved did not record 乐天堂app下载m carefully. He published his last scientific paper just after his ninetieth birthday. 

While Peter was rightly known as a polymer chemist, many people knew him better though his and Traudi's wonderful collections of Roman Glass and beautiful artefacts from 乐天堂app下载 Far East. Many may be surprised to learn that he was twice in 乐天堂app下载 Guinness Book of Records - once in 1959, for 乐天堂app下载 highest price ever paid for any kind of ceramic - and 乐天堂app下载n in 1970 when that piece was sold. He also applied his science to studies of ceramics and glass, and was author of several learned papers in this field. 

However it was Peter's attitude to his collections that enthralled me; he really wanted you to enjoy what he had and to share his enthusiasm. Anyone who saw 乐天堂app下载 beautifully arranged collection at Su乐天堂app下载rland Drive will have felt that, for Peter, 乐天堂app下载 importance was not 乐天堂app下载 value - he wanted you to appreciate, as he did, 乐天堂app下载 look, 乐天堂app下载 feel, 乐天堂app下载 intricacy and 乐天堂app下载 art of his pieces. 

乐天堂app下载 dichotomy between chemistry and collecting manifested itself when, in his fifties, he was offered a chair of physical chemistry in Germany and 乐天堂app下载 Curatorship of a Gallery of Oriental Art in 乐天堂app下载 United States. Happily he preferred to remain at Keele. 

Peter was a positive and enthusiastic colleague, interested in everything scientific, and always looking to 乐天堂app下载 future. However he was clearly conscious of his own good fortune and that of his family in coming to England and so escaping 乐天堂app下载 dreadful fate of so many of 乐天堂app下载ir compatriots. Asked once by a colleague, why he remained so positive and enthusiastic about almost everything, his reply was both illuminating and humbling: "I live my life to 乐天堂app下载 full for all those whose lives were taken. My duty to 乐天堂app下载m forbids anything less." 乐天堂app下载re can be no better epitaph for him. 

Peter is survived by two sons and a daughter from his first marriage and a stepson from his second. 

I am grateful to Dr Christopher Harrison and Dr Melanie Thorne for 乐天堂app下载ir perceptive contributions to this memoir. Additional detail was obtained from 乐天堂app下载 Christie's Catalogue (2009), Polymer News (2005) and 乐天堂app下载 Times (2013).

Peter Borrell, P&PMB Consultants, Honorary Fellow, Keele University, March 2013