Ron Bambury was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota but moved to Minneapolis as a child and later to the north suburbs. Here he completed his secondary education, graduating from Anoka high school in 1950. While still in grade school he expressed an interest in being a chemist at a large company and showed his other scientific bent by describing the details and uses of a binary number system to his classmates. To pursue his chemist dream he entered the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota for the five year program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Chemistry degree, and his senior project on nitro-olefins was the basis of his first publication.
Ron then entered the graduate program at the University of Nebraska, and received an M.S. in 1958 and a PhD in 1960 with a major in organic chemistry and minors in physiology and biochemistry. His thesis work on Tetralones, done under Prof. N.H.Cromwell resulted in five publications. He was elected to Sigma Xi and Phi Lambda Upsilon.
Employment during college included janitorial work as well as summer chemistry lab jobs at Russell Miller Milling and the Minnesota Water Department. His dream to be a large company chemist was realized in subsequent years, first at American Cyanamid Animal Health Division (1960-64) working on anthelmintics and antiprotozoal agents. He then worked at Merrell-National Labs, (1964-76) and Diamond Shamrock(1976-83) on antiprotozoals, antimicrobials, Beta Lactam antibiotics, and growth promotion agents. Ron's last employer was Bausch and Lomb in Rochester, Contact Lens Division(1984-97), working on synthesis and development of novel contact lens materials. He retired in 1987.
During his professional career Ron authored over 50 publications and patents, notable of the latter were 2 on antihelmintics and the siliconhydrogel polymer used in the manufacture of the Pure Vision(TM) contact lens. He also authored a chapter in "Burger's Medicinal Chemistry" on antimicrobial agents, and served as a referee for both the Journals of Medicinal Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. Ron's ACS activities included a stint as chairman of the local section in Wooster, OH. in 1970. He also served as chairman of the Sycamore School Planning Commission in Cincinnati and most recently as a field agent for the 2000 census.
While in his last year of college, Ron married Laura Ukasick, and they have children Cathy, Kevin, and Jennifer, six grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Over the years Ron's hobbies have been varied, including photography, camping, hiking, and biking along the Erie Canal. Taking much of his time currently is woodworking, with emphasis on designing and building furniture in the Arts and Crafts style. The many fine pieces of furniture in the Bambury home attest to Ron's skill in creating beauty from a few simple pieces of wood.
George A.Brown
