David V. Milligan ’62

Dave died May 9, 2025, at home in Monterey, Calif.

He came to us from Evanston High School. He ate at Quadrangle Club and majored in chemistry, graduating a year later than our class, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Recalling his hectic early 20s for our 50th-reunion yearbook, Dave wrote that “by the time I graduated in ’63 I was married to my high school sweetheart, Sue Lind … heading off to the University of Illinois with a small truckload of hand-me-down furniture and two children in tow.”

He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1967, while also earning credits in management and marketing. This mix of skills shaped his career, beginning in 1967 at 3M Corp. and, after other management positions, at Abbott Laboratories for 17 years, retiring as senior vice president and chief scientific officer.

In his retirement Dave became a venture capitalist and corporate board member and endowed graduate fellowships at Princeton and the University of Illinois.

He is survived by his wife, Susan; four children; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The class extends sympathy to all.