John Kenneth Stille

John Kenneth Stille (May 8, 1930 – July 19, 1989) was an American chemist who discovered the Stille reaction. He received B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Arizona before serving in the Navy during the Korean War. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, where he studied under Carl Shipp Marvel. Stille began his independent career at the University of Iowa in 1957 before moving to Colorado State University in 1977.

While at the University of Arizona, Stille met his wife-to-be, Dolores Engelking. The Stille reaction is a key part of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling chemistry, and it is thought that Stille was a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize before his untimely death.