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Karl S. Bergstresser of San Antonio, Texas, passed away Tuesday, February 24, 2004, at the age of 94. He was born in Bangor, Pennsylvania on September 23, 1909, to Carrie Newhart Bergstresser and the Rev. Ira F. Bergstresser. He spent his childhood years in eastern Pennsylvania. He went to North Central College in Illinois and then to graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1935. He married May Holmes, also a student at Washington University, in 1934. Dr. Bergstresser taught college chemistry for eight years, worked as Chief Chemist and Research Chemist at Foote Mineral Company in Philadelphia, and worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1946 until 1972. While in Los Alamos he served as Chairman of the Central New Mexico Section of the American Chemical Society, President of the New Mexico Institute of Chemistry, and Secretary-Treasurer of the New Mexico Academy of Science. In 1969 he received the John Dustin Clark Award from the New Mexico Central Section of the American Chemical Society. He also served as District Chairman of the Girl Scouts and worked with the Boy Scouts. He was a charter member of the United Church of Los Alamos. After retiring, he moved to Albuquerque, where he was an active member of New Life Presbyterian Church. He and his wife moved to San Antonio in 1999, where they lived at the Meadows Retirement Community. Dr. Bergstresser is survived by his wife of 69 years, May Holmes Bergstresser; four children, Robert of Berkeley, Thomas and wife Laura Dickinson of Albuquerque, Paul and wife Rebecca of Dallas, and Martha Ramos and husband Reyes Ramos of San Antonio; grandchildren, Richard Bergstresser, Sara Bergstresser and husband Eric Castellanos, John Dickinson and wife Terri, Maria Dickinson, Daniel Bergstresser, Laura Bergstresser and husband J. Richard Kendall, Miguel Ramos, Paul Ramos, Susanna Ramos Ebenstein and husband David; great-grandchildren, Jacob Ebenstein and Lilly Kendall; and sister, Alma Bergstresser Snyder of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held at the Meadows Retirement Community in San Antonio on Saturday, March 13, at 10:00 a.m. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Covenant Fund, Morningside Ministries, 700 Babcock, San Antonio, Texas 78201.
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