Chris's wife, Linda, sent this message to our class:

I am heartbroken to tell you that Chris died on November 30. His obituary can be found at legacy.com under Judson Christopher Philips. He enjoyed being able to keep up with the class news.  Those years and the ties to them remain strong.

Linda Philips

Here is Chris's obituary, published in The Westerly Sun on Dec. 11, 2022.

Judson Christopher Philips, our Chris, of Charlestown, RI, died on November 30 at 80 years. He was born on November 15, 1942, and grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Linda, the three beautiful daughters he considered his own, Eve Haserot, Cally (Justin) Kayal, Christine (Matthew) Kayal, grandchildren Remy, Julian, Louis, Jack, and Tess, and nephews Christopher (Traci) and Stephen (Michelle) Coughlin. Chris was preceded in death by his first wife, Kerstin, who died in 1975, his sister Virginia, and his niece Pamela.

From an early age, Chris knew that science was his destiny. He graduated with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Ohio State in 1969 and completed post-doctoral studies in 1970. This led to an academic career at the University of Detroit from 1969 to 1978. Chris then started working with the Pfizer Specialty Chemical/Food Science Group. He worked and directed a wide range of projects, which included the sweetener Alitame and the development of new microbiological polysaccharides for oil recovery. His work there, and in later firms, resulted in multiple patents. Following his departure from Pfizer in 1996, he enjoyed the challenges of establishing, consulting and working for startups ranging from efforts in product anticounterfeiting, clinical diagnostics, and chemical process patent protection. Chris was well respected for his leadership, and he thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of the workplace.
As an active member of the community, Chris served on a variety of Boards including the YMCA, the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation, the Weekapaug Golf Club, and the Central Beach Fire District.

Chris always recognized the critical value of a good education. In the 1970s, when Chris was in his early 30s, he established a chemistry scholarship in memory of his first wife. It has been providing awards for over 45 years. Seeing a need for scholarships close to home, Chris responded by establishing the Community 2000 Education Foundation 22 years ago. He was truly passionate about this non-profit which provides scholarships for the Chariho regional high school students. Through his extraordinary efforts, the scholarship, project, and award endowments now stand at 2.15 million, and over $814,000 in scholarship dollars have been awarded to 147 students. Many recipients return to live and work in the community. His commitment and belief in the Foundation were so great that, despite his self-proclaimed status as an introvert, he consistently pushed himself outside of his comfort zone in his fund-raising endeavors and as a result, created an enduring legacy.

He was an avid San Francisco Giants fan, loved reading anything from spy novels to scholarly tomes, enjoyed the challenge of stock trading in both up and down markets, and was satisfied with a good round of golf, although winning the $2 bet made for a great game.

Chris was a courageous leader, mentor, and role model, and a kind and gentle soul who treasured his family. He will be greatly missed.

A memorial gathering will be held on January 5, 2023, at 1:00pm at the Haversham House, 336 Post Road, Westerly, RI. In lieu of flowers, you may contribute to the Community 2000 Education Foundation, PO Box 1161, Charlestown, RI 02813.

For online condolences, please visit www.buckler-johnston.com