Czechoslovakia through a partial decentralization of the economy and also through democratization (sometimes referred to as “Communism with a heart”). At first the Soviets were amenable to these changes, but the reforms, especially the decentralization of administrative authority, were ultimately rejected by Moscow. The Prague Spring ended abruptly after failed negotiations with the Soviets resulted in half a million Warsaw Pact troops and tanks forcefully occupying the country on August 20-21, 1968. Klier and his family had just recently arrived in the United States at the time of the military occupation. He correctly interpreted what a restrictive regime would mean for the scientific community in his native land and sought political asylum for himself and his family. His request was granted, thereby opening the door for his continued employment at Lehigh University. A well-respected researcher with an already voluminous body of work, Klier was successful in applying for funding to support and expand his research endeavors at Lehigh. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor-- and in 1973 he was promoted to a full professor. In 1978 he was appointed the Associate Director of the Center for Surface & Coatings Research. During this time, he contributed to the filing of two patents: one related to catalysis and a method for the production of methylamines, and a second for a process for selective production of di- and tri-alkylamines. He ultimately received five US patents for his work in catalysis. Named the Chair of the Department of Chemistry in 1992, he served in this role until 1996, while simultaneously continuing a long-time collaboration with Dr. Rick Herman (Executive Director and Principal Research Scientist of the Lehigh University Zettlemoyer Center for Surface Studies) and with Department of Chemistry Professor Gary W. Simmons on spectroscopic characterization of active surfaces. Klier led the effort in obtaining the world-class XRay Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS) instrument, which was the only high resolution instrument of its kind in the United States. He also established a leading research laboratory for the design, characterization, and testing of catalysts for the synthesis of methanol, higher alcohols, and other chemicals from H2/CO synthesis gas at elevated pressures and temperatures Throughout his tenure at Lehigh, Klier taught classes ranging from introductory chemistry to advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses in solid state chemistry, physical inorganic chemistry, quantum mechanics, and surface spectroscopy. In 2010, Klier embarked upon a new path as an emeritus faculty member, continuing his research throughout much of the decade. Both an outstanding researcher and an excellent teacher, Klier received many accolades from the University and also from the broader chemical community. Recognition included an Outstanding Educator of America Award in 1973, a University Distinguished Professorship in 1982, and the Libsch Distinguished Research Award in 1984. Accolades received from the industrial sector include the Union Carbide Award for Innovative Chemistry-1981-1986, , the Excellence in Research Award from the New York Catalysis Society in 1983, the Langmuir Lectureship from the American Chemical Society in 1987, the Burwell Lectureship in Catalysis from the North American Catalysis Society in 1991, and the Heyrovsky Medal of the Czech Academy of Science in 1997. He has chaired numerous symposia at research society meetings all across the country and was the organizer and chairman of a symposium at the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies in Hawaii in 1989. Of particular note is his establishment of a leading laboratory in catalytic alcohol synthesis (at the time, one of the only academic research laboratories that could carry out long-term catalyst testing under real industrial process conditions.) He is renowned as a research leader in high resolution XPS (ESCA) characterization of active sites and surface interactions of a wide range of materials including catalysts. Additionally he has been a prolific lecturer, presenting more than 200 seminars at diverse venues including Gordon Research Conferences, the U.S.-China-Japan Symposium on Catalysis in Osaka, Japan, and the Symposium on Environmental Catalysis at the Fifth North American Chemical Congress in Cancun, Mexico. He has served on the editorial boards of numerous catalysis journals, was coeditor of Catalysis Reviews—Science and Technology throughout the 1990’s. During his career he authored and contributed to over 250 research papers. A long-term resident of Bethlehem, Dr. Klier is well-known in his community and is regarded with high esteem for his willingness to share his knowledge at home and abroad. The man who struggled under a repressive regime to conduct experiments in his youth rose above the political unrest in his homeland and seized the opportunity to participate in the education of hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral research associates, and visiting scientists in his adopted country. He willingly and openly shared his vast knowledge in myriad ways and, in doing so, built a solid framework upon which current and future scientists will continue to solve the problems of the world while probing the secrets of nature. Department of Chemistry · Page 17
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