EDWARD "TED" LEWIS
Edward “Ted” Lewis, professor emeritus of chemistry, died July 31. He was 92.
Lewis joined Rice after graduating with a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from Harvard University in 1947. He officially retired in 1990 after 42 years in in the Department of Chemistry at the Wiess School of Natural Sciences. He served two separate terms as chair of the department in the mid-1960s and 1980s.
Lewis’ funeral was Aug. 3 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Houston. He is survived by his wife, Fofo; sons, Richard and Aki; and granddaughters, Carla and Christy Lewis.
Rice Historian Melissa Kean posted a remembrance of Lewis on her blog, “Rice History Corner.”
![NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL What happened to Texas’ tilt from red to blue? That’s a gray area Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, […]](https://news2.rice.edu/files/2015/08/DATELINE5-36x36.jpg "Dateline Rice for Oct. 4, 2021 (Weekend Edition)"){kind=small}
It was I believe during my first year of graduate work, 1966-67 that I a P Chem major, was honored to take an Organic Mechanism class he gave. The class was for chem seniors and graduate students and scheduled for 0800 Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning! Those were the days when students and professors were made of
Fe! So it was on a Saturday morning that we were in the third floor lecture hall. As usual he left the door open for any late Saturday morning stragglers. He had a very slow, deliberate methodical style, speaking and walking from one end of the room to the other, writing in both directions on the chalk boards without breaking stride. I have never seen any other human who could do that. So it was one Saturday morning a few minutes before the closing bell, in the midst of speaking and writing one equation, that he … walking toward the open door… to our astonishment….walked right out. Expecting him to return and finish the equation, walking and writing in the opposite direction, for five minutes no one dared to move. Finally some brave soul timidly arose and looked through the door. He was gone. I think he was on a Saturday morning poking fun at us, and himself.
He was a great chemist and generous to all.
Tom Nichols
PhD 1971
God blesses Mr. Edward “Ted” Lewis.
He was a person with a huge contributions to physical organic chemistry.
Thank you.