Helmut Franz, a resident of Laguna Woods, Calif., died Feb. 7, 2007, of cancer. He was 76.
Franz earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of
Würzburg, Germany in 1962. He conducted research on the surface
chemistry of glass at Max-Planck Institute until 1967, when he moved to
the United States and continued his research at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute. In 1969, Franz joined PPG Industries Inc., where he was
instrumental in developing a number of commercially successful
technologies.
Franz held 57 patents and was the author or coauthor of
numerous scientific papers on the science of glass surfaces. Franz was
elected to PPG’s prestigious collegium in 1988, and retired from the
company in 1997.
He is survived by his wife, Toni, three children and six grandchildren.
An emeritus member of ACerS, Franz was affiliated with the Glass & Optical Materials Division.