John Richard (Dick) Donovan was born on August 7, 1917, to John and Dorothy Donovan. Early Tuesday morning, November 8, 2011, he quietly passed away in his home in Ballwin, MO surrounded by his family. He graduated from Washington University in 1939, joining Burkart MFG. CO as a junior engineer; in 1940 he started working for Monsanto as an analytical engineer. During World War II he worked as part of the team in Oakridge, TN for the Manhattan project producing the enriched uranium for the A-bomb. Over the years he wrote several significant published papers within the chemical engineer genre, many of those articles detailing the important developments within his area of expertise, sulfuric acid. He traveled the world to a plethora of companies who utilized his vast skills to produce a more efficient operation while creating a cleaner environment. He worked for Monsanto for 42 years garnering a world-wide reputation for his unparalleled knowledge in sulfuric acid. For several years after his retirement from Monsanto in 1982, he continued to be a consultant for numerous companies around the world. He was a member of The American Chemical Society and American Institute of Chemical Engineers; He held a Missouri Professional Engineer License; He was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers on November 11, 1979. Dick is survived by his wife of 72 years, Mildred, his 3 children, Mike, Steve and Susan, his 7 grandchildren, Tim, Scott, Julie, Kelly, Andrew, Katie and Erin, and his 7 great grandchildren, Patrick, Casey, Sean, Lauren, Mia, Fiona and Ryan. On Friday, November 11, 2011, there will be a private family memorial.