Radovan Matanić died suddenly and peacefully at his home in Toronto on Friday, February 8, 2008 with his loving wife Barbara at his side.

Radovan was a retired chemical engineer. He graduated from the University of Zagreb in 1963 where he obtained a degree in Engineering. In 1972 he received a Masters in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto. After retiring from his engineering career, he started to supply Universities and Public Libraries in both Canada and the U.S. with books printed in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. He became a member of ACS in 2004.

Radovan enjoyed his membership in the ACS and his participation in supplying literature and materials on behalf of Croatia.  He was active in doing so in his business for 10 years.  He started as a vendor but expanded his activity to include consultant.  He loved his work and his clients.  Because of his honesty as a businessman, his intelligence, his creativity, and exemplary human values, he was able to build relationships within the community which enabled him to distribute the best of Croatian culture. This activity gave him tremendous gratification and actually made him a happy man.

The testimonies from his clients attest to this: “I appreciated all the efforts that Radovan made for our library over the years. We frequently talked on the phone about new offers and publications, and it was always a great pleasure to talk with him. He had wonderful energy and spirit, and his calls would enliven the day. Radovan will be greatly missed among his colleagues in Illinois and around the world.  We will never forget his kindness, his hard work, and his sense of humor.”-Head of Slavic and East European Library

And from another: “Radovan had made a personal connection with me as a vendor and as a senior advisor on Croatian materials. I owe him a lot.  His smiling face, serious business ethics and sincerity to help will be missed by me and others like me in the Slavic field.”

“We should all be grateful to Radovan for distributing Croatian books in Canada and USA, thus spreading information on Croatian culture and history,” writes Dr. Banko Franulić.
Our condolences to Barbara and the Matanić family.

Ante Čuvalo