In Memoriam: Donald (Don) Leedy

Donald (Don) Leedy

(November 17, 1942–May 21, 2026)

The University of Kansas (KU) Chemistry and the Ralph N. Adams Institute is sad to share news of the death of Donald Wayne Leedy (PhD ’68). Don was an an early pioneer in spectroelectrochemistry and a longtime member of the extended electroanalytical chemistry community, with scientific roots tracing directly to KU.

As an undergrad at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), Don, by his own telling, was on academic probation after his first semester despite graduating high school with a 4.0. As he put it, “I had no study skills.” The trajectory of his life changed when in his second semester of his sophomore year in 1962, Don took Instrumental Analysis, a course taught by Theodore Kuwana, PhD, who had joined the faculty at UCR in 1960 as a visiting assistant professor. Don said, “He really forced us to think. I loved that course.”

Don’s enthusiasm and hard work paid off. Ted invited Don to work in the lab. Don described joining Ted’s lab as “the start of the foundation for my whole technical career.” With newfound direction and mentoring, Don was on the Dean’s Honor List three out of his four last semesters at UCR.

Few scientists have the privilege of developing an entirely new analytical methodology while still an undergraduate. Along with first-year graduate student Keith Darlington, Don explored using conducting glass electrodes that were optically transparent to simultaneously probe electrochemical reactions by spectroscopy. This work continued research Ted had pioneered at KU with Dr. Ralph “Buzz” Adams, as Ralph’s first graduate student. Don, Keith, and Ted used these new optically transparent electrodes to perform the first spectroelectrochemistry experiments, which they reported in a 1964 landmark paper.

After graduating from UCR, Don was encouraged by Ted to pursue a PhD with Ralph at KU, which Don completed in 1968. Don shared at a Pittcon meeting in March 2023: “I grew up in Southern California. I’d never thought of going to Kansas. Ted pointed me in that direction. I was a real snot the first year at Kansas. Ralph, J.K. Lee and Clark Bricker had all been [grad] students at Princeton. J.K. was from a very rich family. He was a great cook.” At one of J.K.’s frequent informal gatherings, Don made some disparaging comment about being in Kansas, to which J.K. quickly retorted, “I could live anywhere. I choose to live in Kansas.”

Don did develop a deep affection for KU, which never diminished throughout his long career in industry. As part of the Research & Development team at Procter & Gamble’s Miami Valley Labs, Don spent 33 years in an exceptionally broad scientific career researching analytical chemistry, contraceptives, biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical dosage-form manufacturing for clinical studies, upper respiratory therapeutics, and computer-based disease modeling. Among his many accomplishments, he managed the National Advisory Board and professional relations for the launch of Actonel, an important therapeutic advance for treating and preventing osteoporosis.

Don’s pursuits outside of chemistry reflect the same technical precision that characterized his scientific work. An accomplished classical pianist, he bought a Steinway grand piano (and a Jaguar sports car) after joining Procter & Gamble. A licensed pilot, he was a longtime member of a flying club at Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport and often flew himself back to KU for visits, including attending KU basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse with chemistry colleagues.

Those who knew Don describe a thoughtful scientist, an invaluable colleague, and a genuinely kind individual whose enthusiasm for chemistry never waned. “Don was a passionate cheerleader for our students and faculty and an enthusiastic ambassador for our department wherever he went,” said Dr. Timothy Jackson, KU Chemistry Department Chair. “He was generous in every sense of the word—generous with his time, his stories, his encouragement, and his resources. Don cared deeply about KU Chemistry and was committed to making sure that our students, faculty, and staff had the support they needed to thrive.”

Dr. Sue Lunte, Director of the Adams Institute, remembers Don fondly. “Don hired me and my husband Craig when we graduated from Purdue to work at Procter & Gamble. He was always supportive of our move to Kansas, and it was great interacting with him over the years. Don has been a great supporter of the Adams Institute and the Ralph N. Adams Lectureship at KU. He loved telling stories about Buzz and Ted to faculty and students. He was very humble and never wanted his name associated with any donations to KU or the institute. They were always in Ted’s or Buzz’s name. He leaves a legacy for all three of them.”

Don’s decades of commitment to KU included serving on the KU Chemistry Alumni Advisory Board and attending every annual meeting since 2018. Don’s name will always be associated with the earliest history of spectroelectrochemistry and with the remarkable scientific tradition that grew from the laboratories of Drs. Ted Kuwana and Ralph Adams, one of the most influential scientific lineages in modern electroanalytical chemistry. Contributions in Don’s memory can be made to the Leedy–Kuwana Bioanalytical Initiative Fund.

Written by Ellen Kuwana, Marc Porter, Sue Lunte, Steve Soper, and Jane Kuwana