Evelyne McFeaters
202.872.8110
Ralph Engel, Former President of Chemical Association, Dies May 5, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC (May 12, 2005) – Ralph Engel, former president of the trade organization then known as the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association (CSMA), died of cancer at 72 on May 5, 2005. He retired from CSMA in December 1999.
Born in Baltimore , MD , Engel had a pharmaceutical and legal background. He was part of a New York-based group of executives who were working on issues related to the pesticide industry before moving to Washington , DC , on April 1, 1974 . Joining a wave of trade association and industry professionals who came to the nation's capital to respond to increasing government regulation driven by a fast-growing environmental movement, Engel during this period defined his mission to form CSMA. With a staff of four people in a small suite at 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW , Engel said his mission was “to establish the Association in the nation's capital and turn it into a force to influence government on behalf of its members and their industry.”
Over the 25 years he spent building and shaping CSMA, Engel said, “We lived through the establishment of EPA and the growing pains the agency experienced. We survived the suffering this imposed on our industry. Its growth was our growth as our industry began to recognize more and more that we had to have a presence and assert ourselves in order to protect our interests.”
Engel served on numerous federal advisory committees and boards representing the CSMA membership. They included the Administrator's Pesticide Policy Advisory Committee to advise the EPA on policy and procedure, the National Cancer Institute's committee on environmental carcinogens, the Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee of the EPA/Department of Agriculture to advise on risk assessment procedures and processes, and many others.
In an industry report on his achievements and experiences as CSMA president on the eve of his retirement, Engel said his greatest achievement in his 25 years as CSMA chief was the formation of CSMA's Consumer Products Education Program to deal with problems associated with inhalation abuse. “(It) is, without question, the thing I rank first in importance. … I shall look back with pride on the achievements we made and on our work with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America in combating this problem.” He also cited the international growth of CSMA's influence in working toward harmonization of regulation, as well as the scholarship program, the insurance company to meet the insurance needs of member companies, and the Product Ingredient Review Program. In his farewell address to the membership at the Association's 1999 Annual Meeting, Engel thanked staff and members, saying, “Together we have influenced public policy for the benefit of our industry and the betterment of society.”
Engel is survived by his wife of 46 years, Pat, and their sons, Dr. William M. Engel of Mt. Airy, MD, and Steven Engel of Golden, CO. Funeral services were held in Baltimore on May 9.
The Consumer Specialty Products Association is a non-profit national trade association representing more than 250 companies engaged in the manufacture, formulation, distribution and sale of hundreds of familiar consumer products. It is organized into seven divisions: Aerosol Products, Air Care, Antimicrobial Products, Cleaning Products, Pest Management Products, Industrial & Automotive Specialty Chemicals, and Polishes & Floor Maintenance Products.
