Albin Frank Turbak

Dr. Albin Frank Turbak, world-class authority in the field of natural and synthetic polymers, died on December 18, 2016 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Turbak held 94 U.S. patents and over 500 patents worldwide. He published nine books for the American Chemical Society and for the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), two chapters for the Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology on Rayon and on High Performance Fibers, and numerous technical papers on artificial kidneys, converting cowhides into artificial intestines, low-calorie foods, detergents, films, textiles, and nonwovens. He was acknowledged internationally as an authority on cellulose, its structure, derivatives, modifications, and new solvent systems. He invented the first commercially viable preparation of nano-sized Microfibrillated Cellulose (MFC) by passing cellulose pulp through a milk homogenizer. MFC is now used extensively in the food industry to make healthier foods by substituting cellulose fibers for fat (in salad dressing, baked goods, etc.).

Dr. Turbak consulted for, and gave guest lectures to, leading companies in the U.S., Japan, Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Finland, Canada, and Mexico. During the 1990s he consulted for NASA to develop a source of supply for the carbon fibers needed to make the rocket motors for space launch vehicles. For five years he gave guest lectures nationally for the American Management Association on “How to Improve Creative Thinking”. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Dyers and Colorists of England and of the American Institute of Chemists, and was a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Turbak felt the world was made up of “consumers” and “producers” and he always wanted to be in the “producer” category.

Dr. Turbak was born in New Bedford, MA in 1929. In 1951, he received a B.S. from the New Bedford Textile Institute. This later became the Southeastern Massachusetts University, which gave him an Outstanding Alumnus Award, and is now known as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. During his undergraduate years, he started and ran a successful cupola-making business. In 1953, he earned a Masters degree from the Institute of Textile Technology in Charlottesville, VA. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Georgia Tech in 1957.

Dr. Turbak spent six years as a Research Chemist at the Esso Research Center in Linden NJ before becoming Corporate Research Director for the Tee Pak Packaging Division of Continental Can Company in Danville IL. In 1972, he became Manager of Basic Research for ITT Rayonier in Whippany NJ.

In 1982 he returned to Georgia Tech as Professor and Director of the School of Polymers and Textile Engineering. Prior to retiring in 1992, he also served as Director of Applied Research at the Southern Polytechnic State University in

Marietta, Georgia. He served 15 years as an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Division of the University of Georgia in Athens. He ran his own consulting firm, Falcon Research Consultants, Inc. He served on the Board of Directors of the International Fragrance Technology Corp.

He leaves behind his beloved and dedicated wife Irene (Jaremko) Turbak, to whom he was married for 64 years; his son Stephen A. Turbak, Esq. of Monroe CN, daughter-in-law Michelle Turbak, and grandsons Casimir, Darius and Josiah Turbak; his son Dr. Franklyn A. Turbak of Westwood MA, daughter-in-law Lisa Savini, and granddaughters Ohana and Kalani Turbak; and his sister Helen Prachniak of Baltimore MD. He believed that the highest honor you could give any person was to call them “friend”.

A memorial mass will be held at 2pm on Wed. Dec. 21 at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, 7171 Glenridge Dr., Sandy Springs. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.

Arrangements under the direction of Sandy Springs Chapel, Sandy Springs, GA.