Obituary for Jerome "Jerry" Hollander
Jerome (Jerry’s) Biography - March 20, 2023
Jerry was born in Waterbury, CT, Nov. 18, 1930. As a child he loved nature, especially bird watching. He became a boy scout and eventually became an Eagle Scout. Jerry enjoyed all sport activities. He was an especially good baseball player. Before he started NYU he tried out for the New York Yankees. He loved art classes as a young boy and became a member of his high school art club and created the cover for his senior year yearbook. He really wanted to become an artist, but his father told him that being an artist would never allow him to earn enough money. Another of his interests was chemistry. During high school one of his older cousins received a chemistry set for a present. Jerry wanted to play with the set but his cousin wouldn’t allow him to share the present. At that moment of his life, Jerry decided to become a chemist rather than an artist.
He graduated from high school and won a full scholarship to NYU where he became a chemistry major. After graduation he served 4 years as an officer in the Air Force research labs at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He completed his active duty and attended the University of North Carolina studying organic chemistry on the G.I. Bill where he earned his PhD in 1960. His pride and joy was that he was one of the first polymer chemists involved in basic research. During this period of time he became a chemistry teaching assistant for the nurses’ chemistry classes. His future wife, Carolyn entered the nursing program in the fall of 1956. Carolyn used to study in the chemistry building at night because the nurses’ dorm was too noisy. One of Jerry’s responsibilities in the chemistry building was to make sure all the classrooms were locked up at night. Every night Carolyn was asked to please leave the chemistry building at 9 pm. Eventually he became used to seeing her and talking together. They dated a few times but Jerry was told by two of his graduate student friends that Carolyn was not appropriate for him because she was 8 years younger. Eventually they started dating again in the spring of Carolyn’s sophomore year. In 1960 Jerry received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry and Carolyn received her B.A. in Education with a major in English. From 1960-1996 when he retired, Jerry had a diverse career as a research chemist, starting at Allied Chemical and ending at Unocal. He did pioneering research on organo-fluorine chemistry leading to the development of products such as water repellents, fire retardants, gaseous anesthetics and the first childhood leukemia drug. He developed solid rocket propellants, fluorinated polyurethanes used as the adhesive on the Saturn V rocket, textile finishes and non-woven fabrics, paper processing chemicals and rust inhibitors, tire filling polyurethanes and detergent chemicals. In 1968 Jerry and Carolyn moved to Greensboro, North Carolina where Jerry worked for Burlington Industries. That was the time he worked with textile finishes and the non-woven fabrics. The chemists volunteered to try out the new garments that were being made out of the non-woven fabrics. Jerry’s assignment was to wear the men’s underpants. At the end of each week the volunteers turned in the underpants which would be washed in the company’s washing machines. One day Jerry returned home from work and told Carolyn how breezy his pants felt all day long. He slipped off his pants and Carolyn saw that only the waistband of the underpants remained. The rest of the fabric had been falling away all day long. No wonder it felt so cool down there. During the last 17 years at Unocal, he developed industrial lubricants, hydraulic fluids and metal working fluids. Over his career, Jerry earned several patents for his inventions.
After living 30 years in Upland, CA, they retired in 1996 and moved to Kauai. Carolyn & Jerry volunteered at the National Tropical Botanical Garden where they assisted in propagating native Hawaiian plants. Jerry led tours at NTBG and Carolyn participated with the NTBG artisans creating items incorporating the Hawaiian flora. They belonged to the Garden Isle Orchid Society where they learned to grow orchids. In their front and side yards they grew 70 orchids, apple bananas, papayas, passion fruit and pineapples.
In 2007 they moved to Ocean Hills Country Club in Oceanside. They joined Village Squares Dance Club as students in 2008, became vice-presidents in 2009 and presidents in 2010. During their tenure as officers, they initiated the customs of St. Patrick’s Day parties and having a cake celebrating all members’ birthdays in any month. They were bluebird monitors on the golf course and helped the Woodchucks Club by decorating the baby doll cradles to match the quilts, Carolyn made, and toy cars. The toys created by members of the Woodchucks Club are given to the enlisted Marines at Camp Pendleton before Christmas.
Jerry was born in Waterbury, CT, Nov. 18, 1930. As a child he loved nature, especially bird watching. He became a boy scout and eventually became an Eagle Scout. Jerry enjoyed all sport activities. He was an especially good baseball player. Before he started NYU he tried out for the New York Yankees. He loved art classes as a young boy and became a member of his high school art club and created the cover for his senior year yearbook. He really wanted to become an artist, but his father told him that being an artist would never allow him to earn enough money. Another of his interests was chemistry. During high school one of his older cousins received a chemistry set for a present. Jerry wanted to play with the set but his cousin wouldn’t allow him to share the present. At that moment of his life, Jerry decided to become a chemist rather than an artist.
He graduated from high school and won a full scholarship to NYU where he became a chemistry major. After graduation he served 4 years as an officer in the Air Force research labs at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He completed his active duty and attended the University of North Carolina studying organic chemistry on the G.I. Bill where he earned his PhD in 1960. His pride and joy was that he was one of the first polymer chemists involved in basic research. During this period of time he became a chemistry teaching assistant for the nurses’ chemistry classes. His future wife, Carolyn entered the nursing program in the fall of 1956. Carolyn used to study in the chemistry building at night because the nurses’ dorm was too noisy. One of Jerry’s responsibilities in the chemistry building was to make sure all the classrooms were locked up at night. Every night Carolyn was asked to please leave the chemistry building at 9 pm. Eventually he became used to seeing her and talking together. They dated a few times but Jerry was told by two of his graduate student friends that Carolyn was not appropriate for him because she was 8 years younger. Eventually they started dating again in the spring of Carolyn’s sophomore year. In 1960 Jerry received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry and Carolyn received her B.A. in Education with a major in English. From 1960-1996 when he retired, Jerry had a diverse career as a research chemist, starting at Allied Chemical and ending at Unocal. He did pioneering research on organo-fluorine chemistry leading to the development of products such as water repellents, fire retardants, gaseous anesthetics and the first childhood leukemia drug. He developed solid rocket propellants, fluorinated polyurethanes used as the adhesive on the Saturn V rocket, textile finishes and non-woven fabrics, paper processing chemicals and rust inhibitors, tire filling polyurethanes and detergent chemicals. In 1968 Jerry and Carolyn moved to Greensboro, North Carolina where Jerry worked for Burlington Industries. That was the time he worked with textile finishes and the non-woven fabrics. The chemists volunteered to try out the new garments that were being made out of the non-woven fabrics. Jerry’s assignment was to wear the men’s underpants. At the end of each week the volunteers turned in the underpants which would be washed in the company’s washing machines. One day Jerry returned home from work and told Carolyn how breezy his pants felt all day long. He slipped off his pants and Carolyn saw that only the waistband of the underpants remained. The rest of the fabric had been falling away all day long. No wonder it felt so cool down there. During the last 17 years at Unocal, he developed industrial lubricants, hydraulic fluids and metal working fluids. Over his career, Jerry earned several patents for his inventions.
After living 30 years in Upland, CA, they retired in 1996 and moved to Kauai. Carolyn & Jerry volunteered at the National Tropical Botanical Garden where they assisted in propagating native Hawaiian plants. Jerry led tours at NTBG and Carolyn participated with the NTBG artisans creating items incorporating the Hawaiian flora. They belonged to the Garden Isle Orchid Society where they learned to grow orchids. In their front and side yards they grew 70 orchids, apple bananas, papayas, passion fruit and pineapples.
In 2007 they moved to Ocean Hills Country Club in Oceanside. They joined Village Squares Dance Club as students in 2008, became vice-presidents in 2009 and presidents in 2010. During their tenure as officers, they initiated the customs of St. Patrick’s Day parties and having a cake celebrating all members’ birthdays in any month. They were bluebird monitors on the golf course and helped the Woodchucks Club by decorating the baby doll cradles to match the quilts, Carolyn made, and toy cars. The toys created by members of the Woodchucks Club are given to the enlisted Marines at Camp Pendleton before Christmas.