WILLIAM KURYLA, PHD

Kokopelli Chemists, Inc - President

Dr. Kuryla attended Kent State University in 1952 and graduated from that institution in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He entered the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1956 and received a Master of Science degree in 1958. On June 22, 1957, Dr. Kuryla married Arlene E. Batten of Ripley, West Virginia. In the fall of 1960, he received his Doctor of philosophy degree (in organic chemistry). While at the University of Minnesota, he held various teaching and research assistantships and a National Institutes of Health Fellowship. He and his wife presently reside in Ripley, West Virginia.In 1960, Dr. Kuryla joined the Research and Development Department of Union Carbide Corporation, Chemicals and Plastics Division, at South Charleston, West Virginia. He later became the Manager of Recruiting and University Relations for the R&D Department at the South Charleston Technical Center, then Technology Manager – Occupational Health, and Senior Group Leader of both the Industrial Hygiene Skill Center and Environmental Analytical Group. He has held various management positions in Corporate Toxicology and Information Services. He was Director of Product Safety and Risk Assessment for the CIPS Group, and was Associate Director of Product Safety for Union Carbide Corporation (Danbury, Connecticut), where he directed the TSCA compliance program. Dr. Kuryla is the author of over 30 scientific papers, is an inventor or co-inventor of 30 domestic and foreign patents and is a member of several scientific societies. He is senior editor of a book series (five volumes) entitled, “Flame Retardancy of Polymeric Materials,” published by Marcel Dekker, Inc. He has served his profession as Chairman of the Kanawha Valley Section of the American Chemical Society, has been a reviewer for several journals, and has served in a variety of academic roles including Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at West Virginia State College and Adjunct Professor of Toxicology at the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies. He is a past President of the West Virginia Academy of Science. He is the Chairman of SOCMA’s TSCA Committee, and Chairman of the ASC TSCA Task Group. Dr. Kuryla is very active in the Boy Scout Movement, and holds several honors including the Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope Awards, the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, and is a Wood Badge Course Director in both the Boy Scout and Club Scout Program areas. He is the recipient of the Jaycees “Distinguished Service Award” (St. Albans Chapter) and the Outstanding Service Award” (West Virginia State Chapter). The Kanawha Valley Section of the American Chemical Society honored him with their “Outstanding Service Award” and also the “Award for Scientific Achievement – “1974”. In December of 1974 West Virginia Governor A.A. Moore Jr. conferred on him the “Honorary West Virginian” award for his meritorious service to the state. The American Association for the Advancement of Science elected him a “Fellow” for his distinguished contributions to science (1991).