Norman "Lou" Allinger (6 April 1928 – 8 July 2020)[2] was an American organic and computational chemist and Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens.
[6] Aged 17, Allinger was experimenting with a highly dangerous mixture of magnesium and red phosphorus with three teenage friends in his bedroom at home.
[7][8] Allinger attended Alameda High School and then, aged 18, he enlisted in the US Army,[9] and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska.
After his term of enlistment Allinger attended the University of California, Berkeley, from where he graduated with a BS in chemistry in 1951.
[10][11] “Professor Allinger is honored for his pioneering work in computational chemistry, his seminal contributions to the development of the molecular mechanics series of force fields, their widespread application to the fundamental understanding of molecular structure and energetics, and their implementation as a significant tool for practicing chemists”.
"[11] He was also a lifetime lover of baseball, supporting the Atlanta Braves fan once he had moved to Georgia; and a life long champion of the Boy Scout movement.
Before his funeral the family requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Dr. Allinger’s name to the Boy Scouts of America.