Dr. Laren Tolbert, longtime School of Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty member and former School Chair, died on February 2, 2025, at the age of 76, seven years after the passing of his beloved wife, Barbara. They are survived by their four children and eight grandchildren, to whom they were joyfully devoted.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Tolbert earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry (as well as Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude honors) from Tulane University in 1970. He then went to the University of Wisconsin for his Ph.D. as a National Science Foundation Fellow (1971-74) under the renowned organic chemist Howard Zimmerman, and postdoctoral studies at Harvard under the even more renowned R.B. Woodward. Photochemistry attracted his keen attention from the start, and he began his independent work in that subject at the University of Kentucky in 1976. After promotion to Associate Professor in 1981, he came to Georgia Tech in 1985 as Professor of Chemistry.

The Tolbert laboratory was highly active in the fields of organic photochemistry and photoelectrochemistry, new synthetic methods, electroactive and barrier polymers, and organic photovoltaics. Throughout his scientific career, he sought to find unifying themes to allow organic chemists to understand the reactivity of highly energetic molecular systems based upon the principles of symmetry, orbital control, and solvation, fundamental contributions that have impacted many fields of chemistry, materials science, and biology. With consistent support from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, among other sources, Prof. Tolbert authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications describing his laboratory’s new and impactful work while at Georgia Tech. He was recognized as an NSF Discovery Corps Fellow (2005), a Mercator Fellow (2003), winner of the Georgia Tech Faculty Author Award (2003), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2000) and as an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (1983-85). He was awarded Georgia Tech’s highest faculty rank of Regents’ Professor in 2006.

Dr. Tolbert served as School Chair from 1993 to 2002, during which he directed a revolution in the School’s research activity and national standing. He oversaw the recruitment of 19 faculty members, including one member of the National Academy of Sciences, and established the environment that allowed them to earn ten NSF CAREER grants, one NIH First Award, two Beckman Young Investigator Awards, two Research Corporation Research Innovation Awards, two Dreyfus Young Faculty Awards, four Sloan Fellowships, and two Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards. Under his stewardship, senior faculty in the School received two Georgia Board of Regents Professorships, the Langmuir Prize from the American Chemical Society, Florida Award, the Richards Medal, the Herty Medal, the Fresenius Award, and one Georgia Tech Distinguished Professor.  During his tenure as Chair, external research grant awards to the department increased by 70% and the graduate program grew by 25%, setting the stage for continued acceleration in subsequent years.

Among his many contributions to the national and international scientific community was his service as Chair of the Lexington and Georgia sections of the American Chemical Society, member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Organic Chemistry, organizer of the Gordon Research Conference on Photochemistry in 2001 and 2003, and Associate Editor of the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society for many years. He served as consultant to several companies, including 3M, Amoco, Milliken Chemical Company, and McGraw-Hill publishers.  

Prof. Tolbert’s trainees and colleagues remember him as superbly effective and generous, and everyone smiles at the memory of his voice and his infectious sense of humor. Remarks one colleague, “Laren’s superpower as a colleague, mentor, and leader was his understanding that people mattered. He recognized that the strength and success of any group or organization derived from the success of the individual. In all of my interactions with him, his focus remained squarely on how he could help and support my individual goals and aspirations. That is the kind of human-centered and value-based leadership we so often find missing. Personally, he gave me the confidence and drive to push forward in directions that others may have found less valuable. The person I am today was strongly shaped by my interactions with Laren early in my career, and I suspect that many others share that sentiment.”

Writes another, “Laren was an outstanding researcher, scholar, and teacher.  In addition, and perhaps more important, he was a devoted husband and father…  Personally, he was a devoted friend and colleague.  I cannot stress enough that his presence made a positive impact in my life.  He will be missed.”  Echoes another from a different department, “Gentleman. Scholar. Mentor. Friend. Laren Tolbert’s leadership and mentoring activities extended beyond the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech. I was a new assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Laren generously took me under his wing and guided me through the tasks required of the academic enterprise. He directly supported my success and skillfully aligned it with success for the Institute. I am deeply appreciative for the time I spent with Laren and the influence he had on my life. Such a great guy. Such a great laugh!”

A student of Dr. Tolbert’s captures the essence of many of his students’ experiences: “Dr. Tolbert was an exceptional teacher who made chemistry class not only interesting but enjoyable and deeply relevant. His class was always in high demand, and I still remember the lively debates and discussions we had as we worked through the answers to his questions. He touched so many lives through his research group, sharing his vast knowledge, experience, and kindness. His laid-back yet effective leadership style, marked by the genuine respect he earned from others, made him a truly remarkable mentor. He had a unique ability to connect with people, including foreign students like me, offering them empathy and unwavering support. Without him, I truly don’t know where I would have ended up. Through him, I came to understand the ideal image of an American: a loving family man, a dedicated husband and father, a phenomenal mentor and advisor, a rare and exceptional professor, and above all, a truly great human being.”

Tolbert’s life was always rooted in his family. He and Barbara (a career professional nurse and nursing director) had three daughters (Sara, Katie, and Lara), an adopted son (Jay), and a large collection of grandchildren. Dr. Tolbert was proud that each of his daughters have Ph.D. degrees in science-related fields; notes one, “He always attributed our success to Mom.” To know Laren was to know the wonderful Barbara-Laren partnership. Those of us who did will not forget them.