VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) - John C. Haas, former chairman of global chemical company Rohm and Haas who was known for his charitable work, died Saturday at his family home. He was 92.
Haas died of natural causes at the home in Villanova, family spokeswoman Maureen Garrity said.
The son of company co-founder Otto Haas, he started with Rohm and Haas as a process engineer at the Bridesburg plant in Philadelphia in 1942. He became a vice president in 1953 and served as board chairman from 1974 to 1978.
Haas was named chairman of his parents' charitable foundation in 1960, now known as the William Penn Foundation. He oversaw its growth over the next three decades, according to a family statement.
He served as president of the Greater Philadelphia United Way and was active with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia and with other civic organizations, the company's website said.
"Our father was a kind and charitable man, and that was reflected in every aspect of his life," his children said in the statement. "He truly lived the values handed down from his parents, and we are gratified that his good works continue to live on through the people and organizations he touched."
At 90, Haas still made regular visits to the company's headquarters in Philadelphia, and nearly 600 employees and friends attended a 2008 birthday celebration there, the website said.
Haas is survived by his wife, Chara; his daughter, Barbara; his sons David, Leonard, Frederick and Duncan; and 10 grandchildren. His only brother, F. Otto Haas, died in 1994.
A private service will be held by the family. A memorial service is to be held later.