Al was born in Winfield, IL on September 29, 1925 to Albert Sophus Leo and Mary Beck. Al was the youngest of four children, all of whom preceded him in death. He served in the Army during WWII, where he was injured during battle in France, receiving a Purple Heart.
Al met the love of his life, Georganna, at an American Legion dance at the end of WWII in Ontario, CA. Georganna was double dating with her best friend, Dotty, but, as they were leaving, Al heard her ask her date, "Why don't we ask that soldier to come with us for a coke?" Even as a 'fifth wheel', Al was deeply moved at this 15 year old girl's genuine concern for another’s happiness. This led to a two year courtship followed by almost 70 years of a blissful marriage which produced three children, Kathleen, David, and Margaret, each of whom subsequently had three children. At the time of his passing, Al had 41 progeny. Georganna preceded Al in death in 2017.
After earning his B.S. in chemistry at Pomona College, as a young married veteran of WWII on the G.I. Bill, Al moved on to the University of Chicago for his Ph.D. Returning to Pomona in 1968, he founded the Medicinal Chemistry Project with his former mentor, Prof. Corwin Hansch. They then founded a corporation, BioByte, specializing in programs and databases for computer-aided drug design. Al authored several books and many papers for scientific journals, in addition to a historical novel, “Too-nu-yah: The Enchanted Valley of Yosemite.” More information about his novel can be found at www.albertleo.com
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