We are saddened to share with our members the passing of three long-serving former volunteers and Executive Officers of the ACS Greater Houston Section. Their participation and contributions to the Greater Houston and broader chemistry community will forever be cherished by everyone whose lives they touched.

David (Dave) Singleton – March 6, 2026

Obituary: https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/houston-tx/david-singleton-12780750

Dave Singleton received his BSc in Chemistry at the University of London (Queen Mary College) and completed his PhD in Chemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1965. Following a two-year fellowship in organometallic chemistry at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, he embarked on a 37-year career as a research chemist with Shell Chemical Company in California, Houston, and Amsterdam.

During his many years of volunteer activity with the Greater Houston Section of the ACS, Dave served as a Director (1995), through the Chair succession (1997-1999), and as a Councilor (2003-2020).

Simon Bott – February 11, 2026

Obituary: https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/bott/5289776

Simon Bott received his BSc in Chemistry from Bristol University (1983), and his PhD in Chemistry under the guidance of Prof. J. L. Atwood from the University of Alabama in 1986. His academic career as a teaching professor included 8 years at the University of North Texas and 19 years at the University of Houston, where he was a student favorite. In 2016, Simon moved to Swansea University in the UK to found/reopen the university’s chemistry department.

During his time in Houston, Simon was an active volunteer with the ACS Greater Houston Section and served through the Chair succession (2002-2004) and as a Councilor (2005-2016), while also running the section’s annual Scholarship Examination from 1998-2016 and organizing the Chemistry Olympiad competition from 2007-2016.

Benjamin (Ben/Benji) Outlaw – July 2025

Funeral broadcast, July 20, 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or8it31UbMk

Ben Outlaw did his undergraduate study at the University of Arkansas–Monticello and at the University of Memphis (BS, 1963) and completed his graduate studies at the University of Memphis (MS in Organic Chemistry, 1965). He was employed as an organic synthesis chemist in oilfield corrosion control technology at Petrolite Corporation in St Louis, MO  from 1966-1997, and at Baker-Petrolite, a division of Baker Hughes, in Sugar Land, Texas from 1997 until he retired in 2002.

During his time in Texas, Ben was an active member of the Greater Houston Section of the ACS, serving on the Executive Board as Director (1999), through the Chair succession (2000-2002), Alternate Councilor (2003), and Councilor (2004, 2006-2008). His volunteer service with the St. Louis ACS section was similarly notable both before his move to Houston and after he retired to Missouri.