George A. Vincent III ’66
George A. Vincent III ’66—Hallstar’s cofounder and former chairman, president, and CEO—died on May 4. He is survived by his wife, Andrea, their two sons, and three grandchildren. George made a profound impact on the Chicago business community and the chemical industry. George earned a chemistry degree at Dartmouth on an ROTC scholarship and then served four years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. After completing an M.B.A. at Harvard George took a job at General Electric in the plastics division (which included a stint as Jack Welch’s speechwriter). Next he joined FMC Corp., where he worked in corporate development, sourcing, and sales. George left FMC in 1983 to take on the president’s role at a polymer additives distributor. Three years later he and several others formed the Hallstar Co., which in turn purchased the distributor. Hallstar saw growth during George’s tenure and he oversaw several key acquisitions, including a personal care ingredient business to complement Hallstar’s innovative ester chemistry. During his career George was a board member of the American Chemistry Council. He chaired the Chicago Chemical Industry Council and the Illinois Manufacturing Association and served on several corporate boards, including those of Carus and Nanophase Technologies. He was also passionate about—and quite accomplished at—extracurricular interests such as skiing and sailing. He will be missed.
