A Medical Device Daily

Fisher Scientific International (Hampton, New Hampshire) reported that its chairman emeritus, Frank Jellinek Jr., died Tuesday morning in a plane crash at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California.

Paul Montrone, CEO and chairman of Fisher Scientific, said Jellinek “was a great leader and an outstanding person who dedicated his life to his family, company and community. Everyone who knew and worked with him was impressed by his passion for the business and his warm personality.“

Jellinek was appointed chairman emeritus following the 2004 merger of Apogent Technologies and Fisher Scientific. Prior to the merger, he was CEO and chairman of Apogent.

In 1962, at the age of 15, he began working at Erie Scientific, a microscope slide company his grandfather founded. Erie was sold to Sybron in 1969, and Jellinek remained with the company, becoming its president in 1998. In 2000, Sybron changed its name to Apogent Technologies, and Jellinek was named president and CEO.

Fisher Scientific provides products and services to the scientific community, from biochemicals, cell-culture media and proprietary RNAi technology to rapid-diagnostic tests, safety products and other consumable supplies.