Remembering Emeritus Chemistry Professor Ned D. Heindel

Ned Heindel, Howard S. Bunn Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and distinguished senior research scientist, died June 27, 2023, at his home in Williams Township. He was 85.

"Ned was an extraordinary colleague and human being. He was a strong supporter of our students, remained in touch with and connected to former colleagues and students, and was always available to help when needed," said Robert Flowers, The Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

"During my time as a Lehigh graduate student, Ned served as an informal mentor to me and he was incredibly helpful when I began my career as an assistant professor. He continued to provide advice throughout my career as a department chair, deputy provost, and as dean. He was passionate about Lehigh and often connected me with colleagues and alumni who he thought could advance the mission of the college. Ned contributed so much to the chemistry department and Lehigh. Working with him was one of the great privileges of my professional career and I'll really miss him."

Born in 1937 in Red Lion, Pa., Heindel was awarded a B.S. degree in chemistry from Lebanon Valley College in 1959, a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Delaware in 1963 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University in 1964.

“When I talk to our alumni, Ned is usually the first person they fondly recall, and those who knew him know why,” said Gregory Ferguson, professor and chair of chemistry. “Despite an extraordinarily busy professional schedule and pursuit of personal interests, he always greeted people with a smile and had time for a friendly and encouraging conversation. As a professor and colleague for almost sixty years, it is entirely fair to say that Ned Heindel was an institution in the Lehigh Chemistry Department.”

Heindel served on the board of trustees of Keystone College in LaPlume, Pa., as well as the boards of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Council for Chemical Research, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry—American Division, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the Science History Institute, the Chemical Sciences Roundtable of the National Academy of Sciences, the Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute and CentCom Advertising. He was president of the American Chemical Society in 1994. He chaired two task forces of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council which issued reports recommending laboratory safety procedures and safe handling techniques for hazardous materials by small chemical laboratories in underdeveloped countries, as well as price setting by publishers of chemistry journals.

His awards and honors included a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship; Sigma Xi science honorary society, D.Sc. (Hon.) from Lebanon Valley College; Brady Foundation Award for Cancer Research Award; D.Sc.(Hon.) from Albright College; Mosher Award for Contributions to Chemistry; The Henry Hill Award for Achievements in Medicinal Chemistry; The Ben Franklin Partnership Award for Corporate Assistance to Start-Ups; Fellow status (charter class) with the American Chemical Society (ACS); Fellow status (charter class) ACS History Division; and the 2011 Hillman Award for Service to Lehigh University. Heindel was a founding member of the Alpha Chi Sigma, chemistry fraternity chapter (Gamma Omicron), at Lehigh.

Imbued with a keen interest in history, Heindel published 16 articles and five books on topics of regional and chemical history. His book, "Hexenkopf: History, Healing and Hexerei," realized three editions and five printings. He also wrote "Iron, Armor, and Adolescents: A History of Redington and the Carter Junior Republic," "The 1863 Diary of Beates R. Swift," and (with Robert D. Rapp) "The Nineteenth-Century Horse Doctor: A Pennsylvania Dutchman’s Practical Guide to Treating Horses." A lifelong interest in patent medicines resulted in his researching and publishing in 2021 of "Medicine, Music, and ‘Money’ Munyon." The book, a biography of a colorful Pennsylvania patent medicine manufacturer whose firm was one of the first indicted after passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act, was accompanied by a YouTube-based collection of songs by and about the infamous quack James Monroe Munyon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFTkAuIJLgo).

For more than 45 years Heindel was a frequent contributor of local history articles to Pennsylvania Folklife magazine and to The Pastfinder, the newsletter for the Williams Township Historical Society. He served on the boards or executive committees of several historical organizations including the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society, the Science History Institute and its Heritage Council, the Williams Township Historical Society, and the Division of the History of Chemistry (ACS).

In 2020, Heindel and his wife, Linda, donated the Hexenkopf Ridge, the Hexenkopf Rock, and the surrounding 77 acres to Northampton County as one of the county’s latest nature parks.

He is survived by his wife, four cousins and two nephews. Memorial donations can be made to the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society in Easton, Pa. A celebration of life event will be scheduled.

Story by Rob Nichols