Ronald E. Brooks led a research unit at General Electric which developed oil-eating microorganisms to clean up environmentally-damaging oil spills in the ocean. His management of the General Electric Research and Development Center's environmental unit in the 1970s and 1980s crossed the scientific and technological boundaries of chemistry, electronics, research physics, engineering and environmental science.

Born in New York City on May 28, 1935, Ronald Elmer Brooks was the son of Elmer, a minister, and Oretha (Beverley) Brooks. Both parents were known for their exhaustive religious and civic activities in the New York City region. During the Korean War era, Brooks served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. His academic career began shortly afterward, and he graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the City College of New York in 1958. At the time of his graduation, the field of chemistry had opened new frontiers in the...