Charles Phillip Casey

Charles “Chuck” Casey, 83, of Madison, Wisconsin, a devoted chemical researcher, a leader of future directions for chemistry, and an inventor of one-liners that summarized his outlook on many of life’s experiences, passed away peacefully on December 21, 2025.

Born January 11,1942, in St. Louis, Missouri, Chuck was the son of John Charles and Hildagarde Temmeyer Casey. He grew up with his brothers John and Thomas in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood, where family, school, and playground friendships shaped his early years. After graduating from St. Louis University High School, his lifelong interest in chemistry began at St. Louis University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1963. He went on to earn a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under George Whitesides, doing pioneering research in organometallic chemistry.

At MIT, Chuck also met his life partner, Martha Link, whose lab was just across the hall from his. Both were studying for their PhDs in chemistry. Their first “date” was a trip to a Coke machine in the MIT basement. It was the beginning of a 57-year marriage.

In 1968, Chuck accepted a faculty position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he would spend his entire career. Over nearly four decades, he taught thousands of undergraduates organic chemistry and also brought undergraduates into his research labs. He directed 72 graduate student degrees, worked with 40 postdoctoral fellows, and published over 300 research papers. When asked what were the highlights of his career, he said “working with students on their research.” His students and colleagues remember his intellectual rigor, generosity, humor, and loyalty. However, one student group did supply him with a tee shirt saying “that result doesn’t mean anything. Do that experiment again.”

His pioneering work in organometallic chemistry advanced understanding of catalysis, olefin metathesis, and hydrogenation. He was a leading expert on a new generation of catalysts that allow greater control over the polymer formation process so that manufacturers could make plastics with exact strength, flexibility or clarity. Each new plastic could be used for something ranging from supermarket bags to car parts. Most of his efforts were directed toward understanding how molecules in key reactions interact to produce a given result. There were few projects with immediate practical applications. But one exception was his work on an extended lawsuit between Dow and Dupont regarding the patent of a key polymer intermediate. It was needed to produce a special plastic that generated millions in sales. After being an expert witness in a long arduous trial in Texas, Chuck was asked if he would do that again. He said “Would you like to go swimming in Lake Mendota in mid-December? The answer might be yes—once.”

He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, served as President of the American Chemical Society, and received numerous other awards and honors. When he received the UW-Madison’s Steenbok Professorship in the Physical Sciences, one of UW’s top honors, he produced another of his one-liners, “if I am their top guy, this place is in real trouble.”

He accomplished all of this in spite of an early diagnosis of metastatic melanoma. In 1975, his oncologist predicted he would live only one year. But he went on for another 50 years, noting that he out-lived several of his oncologists. At the time of his death, there was no one definitive treatment or explanation for his long survival. He persevered with characteristic determination, supported by his family, colleagues, and his own remarkable resilience.

He also valued service and used his leadership positions to address wide-ranging issues he thought important. When the USA faced a major fuel shortage in the late 1970s, he served on a panel of experts that the government assembled to address the country’s energy problem. Subsequently, he directed a major portion of his own research to possible long-range solutions to related problems. As chair of the UW Chemistry Department, he advocated for maternity leave for graduate students. As ACS president, he started a program at national meetings to give students from a wide variety of academic institutions a chance to demonstrate their research accomplishments and abilities. The goal was to create a larger and more diverse pool of applicants visible to major employers. After retirement, he helped develop and lead a National Academy of Science study, “The Future of U.S. Chemical Research”, that examined past accomplishments, and future challenges.

Chuck’s career was accompanied by extensive travel, giving lectures and collaborating with scientists around the world. He and Martha enjoyed these journeys together, building lifelong friendships from Japan to Germany, and in retirement traveling widely as tourists. Chuck was also devoted to family especially his daughter Jennifer. He promoted amateur biking, loved taking care of neighborhood pets, and even tried cross-country skiing, at which he did not excel. He delighted in reading The Wizard of Oz aloud to Jen as a child and attending Madison Opera with Martha.

Chuck is survived by his wife, Martha; daughter, Jennifer; brother, Thomas, his brothers in law Perry and Bruce Link and 13 nieces and nephews, as well as many friends, colleagues, and former students from around the world. He was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother John Michael.

Chuck would urge any donations be directed to the UW-Madison Department of Chemistry that he established to aid in recruiting and retaining especially qualified chemistry graduate students and recognizing their research accomplishments. (Fund 132226545, UW Foundation, US Bank Box 78807, Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807). A Celebration of Life is planned for early spring.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road, Madison

(608) 238-3434