Awards

Distinguished Alumni Service Award - 1983

About William M. LeSuer

William Monroe LeSuer was a highly motivated scientist and public spirited citizen. He was Vice President and Director of Research of Lubrizol Corporation. As a graduate student at Indiana University, he was a pacesetter in scholastic achievement and in high quality, significant research, and received a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1948.

Dr. LeSuer is most known for the invention of a large family of organic chemicals useful as dispersant detergent additives in lubricants and fuels. He held 112 U.S. patents, five of which involved the development of the antihistamine Thenfadil. For more than three decades, he played a significant role in the technological growth of his company, and he was awarded the ninth Midgely Award of the American Chemical Society for his contributions in the field of chemistry related to the automotive industry.

His genuine interest in education was shown by his service on various Cleveland area civic and educational boards, as a trustee of Monmouth College, and uncommonly active support of Indiana University. He established a Lubrizol Foundation Fellowship in the Department of Chemistry, was president of the Association of IU Chemists, and increased interaction among the chemistry alumni.