The June 30 issue of C&E News published this obituary of Chet Schink ’41:
Chester A. (Chet) Schink, 93, a retired Tektronix chemist, died on Nov. 22, 2013, in Portland, Ore.
Born in Portland, Schink earned a bachelor’s degree from Reed College in Portland in 1941 and a master’s degree in biochemistry from Oregon State College (now Oregon State University) in 1943.
Schink was recruited to contribute to the war effort, first by joining Washington, D.C.-based Hercules Powder and then by working for Radford Ordnance Works. After World War II, he returned to Oregon State to earn a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1947.
After a brief stint in DuPont’s research and development office in New Jersey, Schink returned to Oregon in 1951 to work for Krishell Laboratories. Five years later, he joined Tektronix as a chemist. During nearly 30 years at the company, he managed the electrochemical laboratory, became a certified industrial hygienist, and developed a companywide chemical safety program. He also designed the company’s chemical waste treatment system before retiring in 1985.
Schink taught chemistry at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore.
He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1942. He was a founding member of the Portland Section. He eschewed computers and preferred to receive his meeting notices through the U.S. mail.
After retiring, Schink volunteered for the Urban Tour Group, a nonprofit organization that provides historical tours of Portland for schoolchildren. He was an avid gardener and traveler.
Schink is survived by his wife of 66 years, Hannah; daughter, Janice Camp; son, Andrew; one granddaughter; and two great-granddaughters.
I recently had the opportunity to meet Hannah, who lives in Eastmoreland, and her son, who was visiting. Andrew told me how, as a much younger man, he helped manufactured chemicals for his father in an open vat on SE Powell. The Schinks also passed along Chet’s prized two-pan balance and his Reed “letter man” sweater (yes, you could earn a sports letter at Reed back then).