Thomas B. Marshall ’42

A research chemist, Tom died Sept. 16, 2007, of complications from heart surgery at Life Care Hospitals in West Chester, Pa. He was 85.

As a teenager, Tom assisted his chemist father, John, at DuPont Co. and began working in research there in 1947. He helped launch Dacron polyester fiber, plastic pop bottles, and the Lycra spandex fiber used in bathing suits, bras, and girdles, before retiring in 1982.

Tom was born in Swarthmore, Pa., and graduated from Swarthmore High School. At Princeton he was on the Dean’s List for three years, played freshman lacrosse, and was a member of Theatre Intime, the Glee Club, and Tower Club. He accelerated in 1941 and graduated in 1942. During World War II he served in the Navy in the Pacific. After his discharge he earned a doctorate in chemistry from Cornell.

Tom was a Birmingham (Pa.) Township supervisor in the 1970s. He and the former Patricia Dunlevy, whom he married in 1987, sang with the Valley Voices. His first wife, Sidney, died in 1986 after 38 years of marriage. With Sidney he had five children, including Anne M. Woiwode ’75 and the late John Marshall II ’72. Survivors also include two stepchildren and 11 grandchildren.