Sad to see professor Hentz passing. I had him for General chemistry in 1998. I was a non traditional student in my 30s. I had never taken any chemistry course in my life.  Dr. Hentz made me believe I could be a success. I think of him often. Best teacher I ever had! THE BEST!

I recently heard of Professor Hentz’ passing. He was the  best instructor I ever had at NCSU and other school! His love for chemistry inspired me to continue in biochem and work in the pharmaceutical industry for over 30  years. 

God bless you sir and condolences to the family. 

Scott Depee
Class of  ‘92

Apparently my original message was too long to post. 

If you were lucky enough to meet this man you are grieved by his passing. I had him in general chemistry (1966) and he was very good friends with Dr. G.G. Long (whom I worked for in his lab through my undergrad career). Long and Hentz ate lunch daily at the bowling alley (across Hillsboro St.) and they talked sports mostly. Dr, Long died suddenly over a decade ago and I understand they had some sort of memorial at the bowling alley. Drs, Hentz and Long were major supporters of general chemistry and were very influential and many students' lives.  Reenie, Thanta, Dale, Eric, Peter and I were all in the class of 1969 and i think we were all in Dr. Hentz's chem majors lab.
 


I never had a class under Dr. Hentz but we got to know one another while passing each other on the Brickyard!  I suspect I'm not the only one who met him that way.  He always spoke and often stopped for a short chat.  And he always called me Ms. Blue.  And he always remembered my name.  He told me once his method for remembering names but of course I forgotten!  Please accept my sincere condolences on your loss.



Dr. Hentz surrounded by former students at a NC State Chemistry celebration. 

Five chemistry majors from the class of 1969 sharing lunch with Dr. Hentz. (Reenie May, Eric Bingham, Thanta Isenhour, Dale Newton, Peter Hauser, Dr. Hentz)

Dr. Hentz was such an influence in my life.  He was the best teacher I ever had - making chemistry come to life.  His love for his students was felt by each and every one of us who were lucky enough to have him as a professor.  He wanted us to succeed and he was right there when we needed encouragement. 
I majored in chemistry because of him.  His enthusiasm and support was so appreciated by all of his students. He is someone who made a difference in my life and I will always remember him.


Before I graduated in 2005 I had to make sure Dr. Hentz autographed my Periodic Table that I have had since I was about 9 or 10.

Dr. Hentz taught me CH201 in 2001 and CH401 in 2005. I was in his classroom when 9/11 occured. He taught my Dad (class of '75) Bob Usry who preceded him in death by about 10 days. He also worked with my grandmother when she worked on the University staff. I loved his teaching style, his deep care for his students, and his Dad jokes! We will miss you fch/yt (yours truly, not young Turk).



RIP, Dr. Hentz, the best General Chemistry prof ever!

He taught my future wife, Linda, and I in CH 107 (second semester general chemistry for chemistry and chemical engineering majors).  Got to know him pretty well during CH 315 in the summer of 1981.  We loved taking chemistry and quantitative analysis from him. They weren't easy courses, but you learned so much!  Rekindled my friendship with Dr. Hentz when I returned to State to teach and do research in 1987. Served on a couple of PhD committees with Buzz.  Always insightful and animated.  A great pleasure to have known him.  His influence on General Chemistry students at NC State in our era was unsurpassed.

Henry Lamb
BS, Chem. Eng. NCSU 1982
Prof. Emeritus 
Chemical Engineering, NC State 

Dr. Hentz was a HUGE influence for me!   First semester freshman year I tested out of CHEM 101 and got credits for the course and lab, BUT NO quality points!  CHEM 101 & Lab Would/Should have been “easy” A's.  So, my GPA depended upon Calculus, English, History and I think Economics.   GPA was maybe(?) 2.9.  Got an A in Calculus and B’s/C in the rest.  My economic professor had such an accent that when he said gross elasticity, it sounded like cross elasticity...
So I came back for second semester and during the first week the phone rang in the suite and somebody said it was for me.  It was Dr. Hentz(!) more or less reading me the riot act regarding my GPA!  I never forgot that!  He really supported and believed in me and ALL of his students, and obviously loved what he was doing.  His lectures were always very engaging and entertaining.
I randomly called the Chemistry Department about 30-35 years ago and he was still there.  I spoke with him for a few minutes and he wanted to remember my name by my voice.  Thinking that might be impossible (even for Dr. Hentz!) I said I'm Jim Fish and he said, "Yes!  From Virginia Beach!"   Which was home for me while in college and medical school.   I advised that LARGELY due to him I was able to graduate NCSU with Honors, complete Medical School and was an attending ER physician at an ER/Trauma Center, and I thanked him for kicking me in the butt when I needed it!
Amazing, brilliant gentleman with a memory like a steel trap.
James (Jim) Fish, MD, FACEP
BS CHE 1973


Dear Dr Hentz Family,

I'm very sorry for your loss.  I had Dr Hentz for Chemistry 101 in the fall of 1978 at NCSU.  He was the best teacher/professor I ever had during my studies at State.  Since college was so different than high school I had a rough start, but Dr Hentz encouraged me to not give up and keep plugging along.  He always called me by my last name.  Sometimes after taking a test and I didn't perform very well, he would say something like, "Bynum, what the hell happened, you knew the material."  I would say I know but I just choked.  He never gave up on me and always provided support by going over chemistry problems with me repeatedly.  He had a dry sense of humor and was funny too.  I remember him wearing his bow tie which was like his trademark.  He encouraged me to select Chemical Engineering as my major which was a challenge in itself but I never gave up ultimately earning my BS degree in May 1983.  Finally found my desired job in pharmaceutical manufacturing in 1987 and just retired in 2019.  If it wasn't for Dr Hentz's encouragement and motivation, I would not be where I have been and where I am today.  After the attached picture (1988), I did try to stop in at Dabney from time to time over the years to visit Dr Hentz  but he was not available.   I am sure he touched many other student's lives at NCSU.  He will truly be missed.

Sincerely,
James (Jim) Bynum
BS CHE 1983 NCSU   

Part I: Dr. Hentz has been one of the greatest teachers, inspirations, and influences in my career, starting the 1968 summer before my high-school senior year when he taught at UNC-CH in an NSF-sponsored Summer Science Training Program (like Governors School).

Funny story. A year after being in the SSTP, he spoke at my freshman orientation at State. He instantly remembered me, insisting that I come by when classes started. I was assigned to someone else's section, but I figured to go by sometime and see whether he might remember me again. 

As it turns out, my assigned dorm roommate Barney was going to be in Dr. Hentz's class. When Barney and I got back to our room at the end of Monday, the first day of classes, he had a surprising story to tell me. Dr. Hentz had been launching into the first class and suddenly stopped, pointed to an unsuspecting class member, and called out, "Phil Westmoreland! Is that you, Phil?" [The guy did bear a resemblance.] When Dr. Hentz was met with a startled denial, he briefly explained that he was hoping to see a student named Phil Westmoreland, and that if anyone knew Phil, please let him know. 

I resolved to go see him, but I hadn't by the next class on Wednesday. My doppelganger had changed seats, and this time Dr. Hentz spotted him and insisted, "Is that you, Phil? Stand up, Phil!" Again finding he was wrong, he apologized and said he really wanted to see Phil, so please let Phil know.

His section was just after my MTWTF 8am Calculus class in Harrelson, so I stopped by Friday before his class, just to let him know I'd gotten the message and would be happy to come by his office. "That's great," he said. "Would you wait over here just a minute, though?" He turned to the class and announced, "Class, I have proof I wasn't losing my mind! Here is Phil Westmoreland!" He grinned, they applauded, he quickly set up a meeting for me that afternoon, and I left, sheepish and flattered. [Cont'd...]

My son, Logan  received this placemat from Uncle Buzz.  Logan really loved this gift. The Hylton Family  had many family moments with Buzz and Carole.  All were wonderful and all are cherished.   We love him and the Hentz family.   Hugs to all my cousins.  

That afternoon after we talked a bit, he switched me into his Chemistry-majors freshman lab, a more professionally satisfying experience than the herd experience of the regular lab. In addition, he lined up a side position for me that year carrying cards and writing IBM 360 job-control cards for a computational quantum chemist in the department, Tom Caves. [Fifteen years later, I got involved in computational chemistry again and it became a key part of my work.] 

I never was assigned to his freshman chemistry course, but I sat in on his spring-semester section in addition to mine. I even took his senior Inorganic Chemistry course at 8am my senior year!

Years later, in spring 1999 I was taking a pre-dawn cab to RDU, the morning after I'd visited NC State to give a ChE departmental seminar. My driver was a young woman who asked what I'd been doing in Raleigh. When I told her, she said she had gone to State, but only for one semester because it was too big and nobody knew knew her name -- except for one person, a wonderful chemistry professor. He was a shining light of caring to her. She was surprised when I instantly guessed who it was and told her all he had meant to me, too. It deeply moved me then, and it still does.

 I do wish I could have seen him one more time, but memories of him are deeply a part of me and my commitment to students.  Thank you, Buzz.


What a gift this lovely man was for all those lucky enough to cross paths w/him!
He was absolutely my favorite of all professors in the 70’s. Also, I was fortunate to live off N Harrison not far from him.
He was the embodiment of sincere joy in life & all the people he encountered.
How lucky you are to be his family!
I was literally thinking of him a day or so before reading that he was gone.
He’s made the world a better place & I do intend to plant in his honor. 
I wish I could plant where the house used to be. 
Roz Ellwood
NCSU 1976


Simply the best.  As others have said, Dr. Hentz had a special way of getting to know all of his students on a personal level and making them feel special.  He made Chemistry fun and easier to learn.

My condolences. He was my uncle and I always enjoyed talking to him an Carole. I treasured the time they put me up while I was being trained in the USDA in Raleigh. I lament that I never could get back to see them when I moved away to Florida. Love you and Carole, Uncle Buzz. 

After my Mom's death in 2001, Papa took me in to raise. After 5 children of their own, he and Grandma decided to take in a grandchild as well. I cannot overstate the love and care they gave for me growing up, even in their later years. I can't say I was the best kid, but could never express enough gratitude to them. They were a second set of parents to me, and I will love and miss them both dearly. 

To the Hentz family:
I'm sending my sincere condolences on the passing of your father, grandfather and loved one!  I was a chemistry major at State and Dr. Hentz was my teacher for the first two semesters!  Wow!  From a very poor high school background, he taught in a way that everything made sense!  He then became a mentor as I moved through the subsequent years.  I went on to medical school and am now a retired medical school academic professor.
My oldest son went to State and struggled with freshman chemistry.  On the third attempt, he came home and raved about this professor that taught so clearly that it all made sense!  Yep.  Dr. Hentz.  I encouraged him to introduce himself, but as an introvert, he just could not take that step.  He now has an MBA.  
Final thought.  About five years ago, a classmate, Thanta Isenhour, reached out to several other classmates.  We met over lunch with Dr. and Mrs. Hentz at a restaurant in Cary.  It was a wonderful opportunity to share with Dr. Hentz how much he had meant to all of us in our careers. We were just a small sample of the thousands of students he taught and influenced over his career!

One of many amazing memories of this amazing teacher was one of our chemistry demonstration nights we held at the end of the semester.  We prepared a huge balloon of hydrogen and oxygen gas and tied it on the end of a meter stick. I thought...NO WAY! But he did...as I held the meter stick he ignited it with a candle taped on the end of another meter stick. Later we were sitting outside as campus security and the local fire department was basically trying to figure out what the heck we were thinking 🤔.  The fire alarm went off and the building had to be evacuated. 

He is the reason I became a chemistry teacher at NCSU and a major contributor to my success as a chemistry teacher being fortunate to be honored as such, but most of all being an effective chemistry educator able to impact lives. 

Dear Hentz family,

In 1982 a scared little freshman sat in the front row of Dr. Hentz's CH 101 class at NC State and was immediately charmed and reassured by the dynamic personality in the front of the classroom.  He made it clear that we were all capable of being successful in the class.  I spent many a day in his office hours getting help from a kind and patient teacher and went on to finish my chemical engineering degree at NC State and PhD in chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon.   After returning to NC State as a faculty member in chemical engineering (now 22 years), I am thankful for having Dr. Hentz in my first formative year.  No one can duplicate his style, but I try to carry on his investment in learning student names and showing kindness and encouragement to all students.

Dr. Lisa Gardner Bullard (NCSU '86)

I’m so sorry that Buzz is no longer with you. My husband, Alton, worked with Buzz at State for many years teaching General Chemistry. They both believed that a strong base was necessary to understand the various courses that the students later took. 
Buzz was always caring and a “character”. Students loved him as he loved teaching them. 
In a time where women chemists were just tolerated, Buzz treated me as an equal…this was very special to me. 

He was not only a great teacher, but also a good man. Students remember him fondly and with respect. Please know that he will not be forgotten. 

Catherine Banks

My sincere condolences to the Hentz family on Forrests passing. Sometimes there are no words, only thoughts from the heart to carry us on. Please know how very sorry I am to hear of your loss. It was a pleasure in knowing him as a friend for several years and he will be missed by all those who knew him.




Family of Dr. Forrest Hentz:
     My wife and I were saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Hentz, a former neighbor in Calais at SearStone and a good friend! I was especially glad to share his love for Tar Heel basketball and join in conversation about each year's team from the time SearStone opened until he moved to Brittany Place.
     Please know of our love and prayers for all the family members as you mourn and cope with this loss!
Johnny Ross

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Forrest "Buzz" Clyde Hentz Jr.

20 août 1933 – 26 décembre 2022

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home

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