Keith McHenry, 65, retired senior vice president-technology for Amoco Corp., made several discoveries in the 1960s that helped his firm get a higher gasoline yield from crude oil. He subsequently oversaw Amoco efforts to develop longer-lasting synthetic oils for automobiles.
A resident of the Lincoln Park neighborhood and formerly of Naperville, he died Friday in the University of Chicago’s Bernard Mitchell Hospital.
His firm is one of the most research-oriented companies in its field. One of its strongest areas has been in working with catalysts, an area he helped develop.
Mr. McHenry was heavily involved in the firm’s waste management subsidiary. He also was known as a leader in a joint oil and auto industry initiative to develop lower-pollution fuels.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, he obtained a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
He joined Amoco in 1955 at its Whiting, Ind., research and development center. He became a group leader in 1958 and a senior research engineer in 1966. In 1974, he became manager of process research at the company’s research center in Naperville.
In his capacity as senior vice president-technology, he was responsible for coordinating the research activities and directing the pursuit of new technology for Amoco and its operating companies. He retired in April 1993.
Mr. McHenry was instrumental in securing financial support from the Amoco Foundation Inc. for the University of Chicago School Mathematics Program, which led to the development of an innovative mathematics curriculum for K-12 schools.
Earlier this year, the University of Illinois honored him with its National Network Outstanding Leadership Award.
Survivors include his wife, Dee; two sons, John and Bill; his mother, Jayne; and three grandchildren.
Services for Mr. McHenry will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Southminster Presbyterian Church, 2S500 Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn.
