Roger C. Hahn

Roger C. Hahn, age 86, lost his battle with several serious medical problems on Thursday August 16 in a rehab facility in Syracuse, NY. He was born on February 20, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio to Walter and Winona (Cornell) Hahn. Roger earned a degree in chemistry from Oberlin College in 1953, then was drafted into the US Army near the end of the Korean War, serving in the Chemical Corps as a Smoke Generator Specialist from 1954 to 1955. After his discharge he earned a PhD in organic chemistry from Ohio State University. He married Bessie King in 1962, and they moved to Syracuse with their young family in 1965. He taught organic and general chemistry at Syracuse University for 35 years, advising many graduate and undergraduate students during that time. He retired from teaching in 2000 but continued to be research-active at SU, and supported post-doctoral fellows until the time of his death.

His first marriage ended, and he married the love of his life, Estelle, in 1985. He loved teaching, music, running, and hiking in the Adirondacks. He was a charter member of the SU Noontime Running League and participated actively until this past spring, often as the captain of winning teams due to his uncanny ability, dubbed "the Roger Factor" by the league, to attract and motivate runners of all abilities. He was introduced to hiking in the Adirondacks by Estelle on their honeymoon, and together they reached the summits of all 46 High Peaks to become ADK 46ers. He was a quietly fierce competitor when playing Scrabble and other games with family and friends, enjoyed judging regional spelling bees for many years, and made everyone groan with cleverly bad puns. He was a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, and a devoted supporter of the Syracuse Orange basketball team. His biggest joy was spending time with his family. He will be deeply missed by Estelle, his children and step-children Angela Hahn (Tom DeVesto), Michael Hahn (Julie), Belinda Hahn (Ivan El-Sayed), Christopher Acquafondata, Lynn Acquafondata (Francois Piche), and Susan Fondy, and grandchildren Louis and Joseph DeVesto, Isabelle and Matthew Hahn, Ava and Oliver El-Sayed, and Adam and Ben Brodie. A memorial service will be held at Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University, at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 14th. A reception will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders or WCNY. Leave a condolence for the family on the Tribute Wall

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