John E. Sheats, Assistant Professor of Chemistry from 1965-1970, died on July 13, 2022, in Pennington, New Jersey.

(The following was provided by the Wilson Apple Funeral Home on July 13, 2022)

John E. Sheats

On July 13, 2022, John Sheats passed away peacefully at Capital Health – Hopewell.

Born in Atlanta in 1939, he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Duke University in 1961 and his doctorate in organic chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1966. After a short stay at U of Massachusetts, he went on to teach at Bowdoin College before finding his academic home at Rider University in 1970 until his retirement in 2007.

He was instrumental in the American Chemical Society’s Project SEED which provided summer research experiences for high school students and named an ACS Fellow for this work. Over his years at Rider, he co-authored numerous manuscripts on organometallic and polymer chemistry with his undergraduate research students and many other researchers from around the world.

Along with his academic successes at Rider, John was deeply involved with Hopewell Presbyterian Church since 1976 and served as an elder and deacon over the years. People were surprised with John’s encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible and his love of teaching it (particularly the Old Testament). John gave his life to Christ at 7 years of age and never faltered from that decision.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy, and son, David.