Joseph Starita, a chemical engineer who led corporations in engineering and manufacturing, died Nov. 17, 2009, of brain cancer. He was 65.
Starita received a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1965. At Princeton, he earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1970. Starita then held product-development managerial positions at General Electric Co.
He was the founder of Rheometrics Inc. (acquired by TA Instruments), which, according to The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, was the most successful manufacturer of rheological-testing instruments in the world. He was also president of Sensor Labs and CPP Engineering. Starita was a fellow of the Society of Plastics and was an expert in applying rheology to polymer process, material, and product problems. He held many patents relative to rheology and polymers.
Starita supported his wife’s animal-rescue activities and helped her establish a veterinary hospital scheduled to open soon. In the 1990s, he was a member of the advisory council of Princeton’s Chemical Engineering Department.
He is survived by his wife, Renee, whom he married in 2002; his father, Michael; and two brothers.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.