Tributes

Dr. John Albert Quinn of Merion Station, PA passed away Monday, February 8th, 2016 after a brief illness. He was 83. John was born in Springfield, Illinois on September 3rd, 1932 to Marie and Edward Quinn. He was the youngest of seven children. John lived in Springfield until 1951, when he moved to Champaign-Urbana to attend the University of Illinois. He graduated at the top in his class with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1954. John met and married his wife of almost 60 years, Frances Wilkie Daly, in 1957. After his undergraduate years, John attended Princeton University, where he received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. In 1958, he and Frances returned to the University of Illinois where he worked as a professor until 1971. He then joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania and remained there until retirement. He was given the University’s S. Reid Warren Jr. Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1974 and the Robert D. Bent Professorship in 1978. He was Chairman of the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from 1980 to 1985. John’s career was long and distinguished. He wrote his Ph.D. thesis in fluidization and his later research covered membrane science among other fields. He received the Allan P. Colburn Award in 1966 and the Alpha Chi Sigma Award in 1978, both from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1978 and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992. He was a distinguished lecturer and visiting professor at numerous universities in the United States and Europe, and received many other awards and honors beyond those listed here. In 2004, John’s former students and colleagues endowed the John A. Quinn Lecture in Chemical Engineering, presented each spring at the University of Pennsylvania in recognition of his extraordinary career as a researcher, mentor, and educator. “Dr. Q” was extremely devoted to his students, many of whom became lifelong friends. John’s quest for knowledge never diminished. He read the newspaper cover to cover most days and could discuss any topic under the sun at length during family meals. His love of life and people were one of a kind. His favorite things included bad jokes, great scotch, touring Europe, Mel Brooks movies, New York Times crossword puzzles, and his Philadelphia sports teams. He was also a talented woodworker who made much of the furniture in both his Merion Station and Cotuit homes. John was the beloved husband of Frances (nee Daly) and devoted father of Sarah Quinn Christensen (Steven), Becket Quinn McNab (Andy) and John Edward Quinn. He is also survived by 4 grandsons, Bradford, Christopher, Edward and John; 2 sisters, JoAnn and Virginia; and a brother, James. The family will receive guests Sunday evening from 4PM to 6PM in the Chadwick & McKinney Funeral Home, 30 E. Athens Ave. Ardmore, PA. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Mon. Feb. 15th at 10 AM in St. Matthias Church, 128 Bryn Mawr Ave., Bala Cynwyd PA, followed by a reception at Merion Tribute House. Int private in Cotuit, MA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to The Lukas Community, Memorial Drive, P.O. Box 137, Temple, NH 03084.

Tributes

John A. Quinn, Ph.D.

September 3, 1932 - February 8, 2016