Neal Orin Brace was born on April 12, 1922 in Osceola, WI to Cleo W. and Alice L. (Krienke) Brace. In high school he was active in music, sports, and church life. Dr. Brace graduated from the University of Minnesota and served in the U. S. Army Air Corps as an instructor at the Radio and Radar School at Yale University. After the war, Dr. Brace enrolled in the University of Illinois and completed his doctoral degree in organic chemistry. It was in Champaign, IL that Dr. Brace met his first wife, Evelyn Larson. Together they raised seven children – Judy, David, Nancy, Linda, Sharon, John and Roger. Brace worked for Eastman Kodak and the DuPont Company as a research chemist, before moving in 1963 to Chicago, where he taught at North Park College. Dr. Brace spent the greatest part of his career at Wheaton College teaching Chemistry from 1970-1989 where he especially enjoyed the challenge of preparing pre-medical students. For many years, Dr. Brace served as a research consultant for Ciba-Geigy Corporation. His laboratory and classroom successes allowed him to travel to China, Germany, and Russia at a time when foreign travel was less common. Dr. Brace received numerous awards including the Humboldt Prize and he participated as a Fulbright Scholar. He wrote widely in the area of organofluorine chemistry and held multiple patents. Dr. Brace was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn. He is survived by his wife of 17 years, Marilynn (Wikholm Bach) Brace. Hed died on July 27, 2013 at age 91 in Carol Stream, IL.
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