Edward Brooks Becker

MADISON - Edward Brooks Becker passed away on April 28, 2019. He was born on Aug. 12, 1931, to Earl M. and Ethel Brooks Becker in Emporia, Kan. He earned his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Emporia State College. Brooks served in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in Germany during the Korean Conflict. After returning to the United States, he earned his PhD in chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1959, where he met Mary Helen Clark. They were married in June of 1959. That year, they went to France on a Fulbright scholarship.Early in his career, Brooks was a research chemist at Pittsburgh Plate Glass in Barberton, Ohio. He then worked at American Machine and Foundry in Alexandria, Va.; and at Spencer Chemical Company in Kansas City, Mo., and later in Pittsburgh, Pa., after the company was purchased by Gulf Oil Company. In 1970, he came to Madison to head the Department of Air Pollution Control and Solid Waste Management for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In 1978, he co-founded and was President of RMT, Inc., an environmental engineering company, from which he retired in 1990. A resident of Shorewood Hills, he served as village president from 1987 to 1989. He was a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Madison Downtown Rotary and the Madison Club. Brooks enjoyed playing golf and bridge, and traveling to destinations such as Antarctica, Turkey, the Baltics, the Canary Islands, Scotland, Germany, France and Italy. His one and only painting won a place in a juried art show and was exhibited at the Nelson Gallery in Kansas City, Mo. Brooks is survived by his wife, Mary Helen; daughter, Susan (Steve) Pschorr, of Madison; daughter, Donna Becker (Jose Hernandez), of Beltsville, Md.; son, John (Cindy) Becker of Brattleboro, Vt.; grandchildren, Alexander (Sarah) Pschorr of Madison, Maximilian Pschorr of Hartford, Conn., and Caroline Pschorr of Minneapolis, Minn., Jack and Tim Becker of Brattleboro, Vt.; great-grandson Nathaniel Pschorr, of Madison; and cousin, William (Jan) Brooks, of Wichita, Kan. He was preceded in death by his parents, and infant grandson, Hamilton Brooks Becker. A Celebration of Brooks’ Life will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Friday, May 17, 2019, at OLBRICH BOTANICAL GARDENS, 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Brooks’ name may be made to the Madison Rotary Foundation. All Faiths Funeral & Cremation Services Madison (608)442-0477 www.866allfaiths.com