RUSSELL E. MARKER
B.S. 1923, M.S. 1924, D.Sc. (Hon.) 1987
CHEMICAL & LIFE SCIENCES
INDUCTED JUNE 4, 2005 Posthumously

Although best known for his contributions to steroid chemistry, in 1925 Marker developed the octane rating system for gasoline. Later, at the Rockefeller Institute, he developed the optical rotatory dispersion method for studying organic molecules. In 1934 he joined the Penn State University faculty where he developed a chemical synthetic technique called the "Marker Degradation." This led him to a general method for preparing steroidal hormones from a Mexican yam. He left Penn State in 1944 and went to Mexico where he co-founded Syntex Corporation to produce synthetic steroid hormones cost-effectively. This spawned the growth of the hormone industry worldwide.

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