Henri Jean-Robert Maget

December 12, 1928 - November 24, 2022

La Jolla, California – Dr. Henri Maget died on Thanksgiving, late in the evening after a period of declining health.

In 1982, Henri and his wife Elizabeth moved from Palo Alto CA to La Jolla CA where Henri began a consulting company.

Born in France’s Lorraine region to Eugene and Catherine (Georg) Maget, he was the descendant of ancestors from Bouillon, the French-speaking region of Belgium. Henri spent his early years, in Thionville, a township established on the Moselle River. This life would be upended by the events of WWII; in 1940 the family was evacuated and ended up refugees in Brittany, having to abandon their property. The return, after the Armistice, was alarming as a new French-German border had been defined; a large portion of Lorraine was annexed by the “German Reich” which supplied Administrators, Police, and Educators. The native French were basically under German supervision. Henri was allowed to an education equivalent to the 10th grade. His request for further education was denied. Fortunately, this was temporary since Lorraine was liberated by Patton’s 3rd Army in October of 1944.

Historically, this region was French. It became German in the late 1800’s until 1918, and then became French again until 1940 when it became German until 1944. The families’ allegiance was always to France. Henri has documented these eventful years until 1950 in a legacy book titled “Life is a Struggle”, printed in 2017.

Henri started his University education at age 17 obtaining a License of Sciences from the U. of Strasbourg as well as graduating from the Ecole Nationale de Chimie de Strasbourg (ENSCS). This was followed by graduation from the Ecole Nationale Superieure du Petrole (ENSP) in Paris. In 1953 Henri served as a Lieutenant in the French Army and was stationed in North Africa, in Algeria.

Following his service in the Army, Henri was an exchange scientist at the U. of Michigan sponsored, by the National Academy of Science where he began his research on the polymerization of propylene oxide to propylene glycols, which became industrial products with many commercial uses. At that time he also earned an MSChE. In 1957 Henri’s visa expired requiring his return to France. He studied at the U. of Toulouse where he pursued his research culminating in the Doctorate of Science, summa cum laude in 1959.

He returned to the U.S. to conduct postdoctoral work at Yale U. (1959-60) under Professor B.F. Dodge.

Henri started his industrial career in 1960 by joining General Electric’s Direct Energy Conversion Operation, (DECO) in Lynn, MA. Henri was engaged in pioneering the development of the first PEM fuel cell to operate in Space (Project Gemini) for NASA’s Gemini space program. He became Manager of Engineering and of a GE Center of Excellence. His interest in energy conversion led him to direct the development of a photovoltaic solar energy business for Varian Associates, Inc. in Palo Alto CA. It is here where he met his wife Elizabeth in 1979.

In 1982 he started his own consulting company, Maget Associates, his principal client being Ivac, an Eli Lilly Company, in San Diego CA; Ivac had acquired certain rights to his technology for medical infusion products. He later founded Electrochemical Drug Delivery, Inc. and in 1993 sold to Baxter International. Afterwards, he founded Med-e-Cell, a private company dedicated to the development of micro-delivery products as described in his 2016 book “Electrochemical pumps and dispensers- the historical development of Med-e-Cell’s technology”. Dr. Maget was issued about 100 patents worldwide in the field of applied

electrochemistry.

As a couple the Maget’s were committed to their careers and together they traveled extensively throughout Europe, mainly France. They drove down the Baja several times and had a special place in their heart for the people and culture of Mexico. They had the adventure of a lifetime on a three week trip to Africa where they visited nine countries.

Tennis, Skiing and Bicycling were an enjoyable part of Henri’s life.

Henri was a member of the Electrochemical Society (ECS), the Chemical Engineering Society (ACS) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Henri is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, two children Marc Maget (Jennifer), Michele Maget Shaughnessy (Thomas, deceased), three grandchildren, Lauren Shaughnessy, Riah Maget and Nicholas Maget and one great granddaughter, Zoey Maget.

Arrangements for care are with El Camino Mortuary. There will be a Funeral Mass at Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 7713 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA on January 20, 2023 at 1:30 in the afternoon followed by a reception at the family home.