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DR. WILLIAM F. SAGER & MARILYN W. SAGER
Monday, January 1, 2007 - Bangor Daily News
FALMOUTH - William "Bill" Frederick Sager, passed away Dec. 15, 2006, at Seaside Nursing Home, Portland. Formerly of Ormond Beach, Fla., and Meddybemps, Bill was the son of Fred Anson Sager and Alta Stansbury Sager, and younger brother of Ellen Sager Duncan, now deceased. He was born Jan. 22, 1918, in Glencoe, Ill. Bill was blessed with a quick and scientific mind, and inspired by a junior high school science teacher, set his sights on an academic career. He obtained a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in 1941 in chemistry at George Washington University. During World War II, he was commissioned by the War Production Board to investigate the production of synthetic rubber and to develop antidotes to nerve gas. Later he would research jet propellants and non-nuclear explosives, and spend much of his career working toward the understanding of reaction enzymes. After the war, Bill studied at Harvard University, where he earned his doctorate in chemistry in 1948. After receiving his doctorate, Bill returned to George Washington University to instruct and conduct cutting-edge research. In 1954, Bill was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship at Oxford, which allowed him and his family to live and study in England for a year. In 1964, Bill became the first head of the chemistry department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His efforts to develop the Chicago Campus of the University of Illinois earned him a distinguished service award in 1985 from the Alumni Association, one of few ever granted. He is listed in "Who's Who," "American Men & Women of Science," and the "Blue Book of Leaders of The English Speaking World." His curiosity about life and what makes things work drove him to conceive and patent eight inventions while in retirement, ranging from a high-volume pump to high-efficiency heat exchanger to a novel digital transmission system. During his years at Ormond Beach, Fla., Bill became a trustee of the Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences, and was also active in the Daytona Symphony Guild and Symphony Society.
Marilyn Williams Sager passed away Dec. 22, 2006, in the Falmouth House at Ocean View, in Falmouth. Marilyn was born Sept. 12, 1921, in Ann Arbor, Mich., to Capt. Ernest Wells Williams, U.S. Marine Cavalry and Gwendolyn Watkins Williams. She was the caring older sister of Richard Guy Williams, now deceased. As an infant, her family moved to Washington, D.C., where she spent the next 20 years. Marilyn graduated Magnum cum laude from Central High School in Washington D.C., won a citywide French Language competition and a full scholarship to George Washington University, where she and Bill met. They were married the day after Christmas in 1941. Upon marriage, she turned her focus to her husband's career and a family. Karen was born within the first year of their marriage, and Judy and Katy were born six and eight years later. When the Sagers moved to Illinois for Bill's position at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Marilyn immersed herself into the academic fiber of the fledgling university. She welcomed potential recruits and hosted countless faculty and department social events. These activities greatly contributed to the energy and cohesion of the chemistry department and William's role as a leader within the university system. Marilyn and Bill moved to Ormond Beach, Fla., upon his retirement in 1985. She was actively involved in the Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences, where she served as historian. She was also a member of the Symphony Guild and Symphony Society, where she served as secretary and later as historian. Bill and Marilyn are survived by three daughters, Karen Dickinson and her husband, Kim, and their three children, Kit, Lesley and Pat, Judy Peyton and her partner, Norm Olson, and Katy Potts, and her partner, Bob Hews, and her children, Chris and Carrie; as well as three great-granddaughters, Kara and Riley Dickinson and Gabrielle Potts; and one nephew, Roger Duncan and his daughter, Renee Duncan. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sager Family Science Education Fund of the Maine Community Foundation (a 501 (c) 3), 245 Main St., Ellsworth, ME 04605. This fund supports Calais High School graduates pursuing a degree in the physical sciences. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at the Immanuel Baptist Church, High Street, Portland. Arrangements are by the Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland.
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