West Palm Beach, Fl. - With profound sadness and deep respect, UNITERS announces the passing of Dr. Leo Tork.  

Dr. Leo Tork, 91, was internationally known as the pioneering authority on modern leather care and protection. With his team of chemists at the UNITERS Research Centre, Dr. Tork developed over 350 commercial products including Leather Master®, Textile Master®, and Wood Master® products.

The son of Anton and Josefine Tork from Münster, Germany, Dr. Leo Tork attended the Paulinum School and the University of Münster, where he majored in philosophy, physics, and organic chemistry. Part of his doctoral thesis was published under the title of "The Configuration of D-Fructose Constituents in Cane Sugar" in the scientific journal Chemishe Berichte (1960 93 (5), 1013-120).

Dr. Tork started his professional chemistry career in 1960 when he joined the leather research department of Bayer AG in Leverkusen, Germany. In just a few short months, he co-developed and patented a new process for the production of synthetic leather tanning agents. To this day, these tanning agents are one of the strongest revenue producers for Bayer’s “Tanigan” brands.

In 1992, Dr. Tork joined his son Gordian, the founder and Chairman of UNITERS Group, to focus on the development of leather care products for consumers and furniture technicians. As director and lead developer of the UNITERS Research Center, Dr. Tork built a team of skilled chemists that worked together to develop some of the most innovative, environmentally friendly cleaning, protection, and repair products for not only leather, but for textiles, wood, stone, plastic, and metals as well.

Dr. Tork leaves a legacy of innovation and a grateful team of associates around the globe.