Alumni spotlight: Lou Pepoy

By Lisa Anga

Lou Pepoy never intended to earn his Ph.D. in organic chemistry. In fact, Pepoy was more interested in physics than chemistry while in high school. But with a little luck, a lot of hard work and the guidance of his master's advisor at John Carroll University, Pepoy found his way to Carl Johnson's lab at Wayne State.

Upon graduating from WSU, Pepoy took a job at DuPont in New Jersey, where his work focused on pigmentation for the auto industry. Eventually, he found his way to Holland, Michigan, and took a position at Chemetron - which eventually merged with BASF - where he spent 18 years. Pepoy ended his career at Merck in Savannah, Georgia, and moved back to Holland to begin his retirement.

Last spring, during the Johnson-Pfizer Symposium, Pepoy was able to reconnect with former Wayne State classmates Walt Siegl, Peter Rogers and Gerry Dutra - and, of course, his former advisor, Carl Johnson. Pepoy, who has supported the chemistry department for over 40 years, said he is grateful for his experience at WSU.

"My time in the chemistry department led to a satisfying and interesting career in the industry," he said. "I am happy to give back to such an important program."