Paul S. Farrington

May 9, 1919 – May 20, 2006


Paul S. Farrington was born on May 9, 1919 in Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away May 20, 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Beloved father of Martha Farrington, Stephen Farrington, Mary (John) Johnson, Robert (Cynthia) Farrington and Ruth (Keith) Kawamoto, dear stepfather of Paula LeSueur (Dennis Sandoval) and David LeSueur, grandfather of Meredith (Dale) Hoth, Matthew (Sara) Garcia, Brian Kawamoto, Kevin Kawamoto, Zhenya Farrington, Emma Farrington, Kate Sandoval, Laura Sandoval and great-grandfather of Marisol Hoth. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara, in 1976 and is survived and deeply missed by his second wife, Dana, his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.


Dr. Farrington attended CalTech, where he earned his BS degree in Chemistry, MS degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry. During World War II, he participated in a chemical warfare project in the Florida Everglades. As an analytical chemist, he began his teaching career at UCLA in 1950 and participated actively in research of topics such as ion exchange and gas chromatography, providing excellent training to graduate students and contributing to the foundation for some technologies that are widely used today. His concern for students extended far beyond graduate students. He had great interest in college preparation provided to students at high schools and junior colleges. He established a summer refresher chemistry course for high school teachers funded initially by Monsanto Corporation in 1956 and later by National Science Foundation grants. He was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship to study for a year in Stuttgart, Germany in 1958-59. In 1964, he was further honored with the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award.


In addition to his research and teaching, Dr. Farrington demonstrated his commitment to students through participation in state-wide committees addressing educational policies, high potential student programs, junior colleges, and student admission policies. He was highly knowledgeable about the academic programs available at colleges and universities throughout California. In 1962, while maintaining his Professorship in Chemistry, he accepted an appointment as Associate Dean in the College of Letters and Science. As Associate Dean, his responsibility focused on students who had academic problems at the university. Whether counseling students toward necessary steps to remain at UCLA or assisting them in locating programs at other colleges better suited to their needs and goals, his desire was to guide students toward completion of a degree and later success in life. He maintained this responsibility while continuing to teach until he focused solely on teaching in his last few years before retirement in 1989.


Dr. Farrington was an excellent mentor and a loving, patient teacher in his personal as well as professional life and gave generously of his time to his family. He enjoyed music and played the violin as a child, later taking up voice. He had a theatrical streak, participating in both music and drama as a CalTech student. The family home resounded with family members practicing a myriad of musical instruments. He served in many churches as a choir member in the baritone section and at times as an elder. He was an avid sports fan and enjoyed taking family members to football and basketball games. During his retirement years in New Mexico, he served as a fair-minded member of several committees in his retirement community. His kindness and contagious humor made him a much-loved figure among his family, students, colleagues and neighbors throughout his life.


A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 8, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, 1760 N. Gower Street, Hollywood. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ernest Swift Endowment Fund at CalTech, c/o Robyn Puntch, 1200 E. California St., MC 5-32, Pasadena, CA 91125.