Jacques H. Houdry ’49

Jacques Houdry of West Palm Beach, Fla., died Feb. 6, 2012, at the age of 86.

Jacques was born in Paris, the son of Eugene Houdry, the inventor of the catalytic-cracking process of oil refining to produce high-octane gasoline. Jacques attended the Hill School, Episcopal Academy, and MIT. He served in the Army for two years.

Jacques then found his way to Princeton, where he was captain of the golf team and was by far the class’s best golfer. He played in seven majors during his amateur golf career and broke the course record at Merion Golf Club in 1950 with a 63. He loved Paris, fine wines, and good food, and knew a lot about them.

Jacques became president and chairman of Oxy-Catalyst, the firm founded by his father. The company pioneered the development of catalytic exhaust purifiers for motor vehicles.

He leaves his wife, Dorothee (usually known as Dotti); daughters Trish Stanley and Barbara Sabo; a granddaughter, Nina Casey; a grandson, Spencer Stanley; and one great-grandchild. We send our condolences to them.