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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (date of earliest event reported):
January 28, 1997
AIRGAS, INC.
______________________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 1-9344 56-0732648
_______________ _______________________ _____________
(State or other (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer
jurisdiction of Identification
incorporation) No.)
100 Matsonford Road, Suite 550
Radnor, PA 19087
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(Address of principal executive offices)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (610) 687-5253
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Item 5. Other Events.
____________
On January 28, 1997, Airgas, Inc. (the "Company") issued a press release
announcing it named Thomas C. Deas, Jr., Chief Financial Officer, effective
February 24, 1997.
Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits
__________________________________________________________________
(a) None
(b) None
(c) Exhibits.
99 Press Release dated January 28, 1997
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Signatures
__________
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
AIRGAS, INC.
BY: /s/ Jeffrey P. Cornwell
_______________________
(Jeffrey P. Cornwell)
Vice President - Finance and
Corporate Controller
DATED: February 5, 1997
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For more information:
James N. Borum
Jeffrey P. Cornwell
(610) 687-5253
AIRGAS, INC. NAMES THOMAS C. DEAS, JR. CHIEF FINANCIAL
OFFICER
RADNOR, Pennsylvania, January 28, 1997--Airgas, Inc. (NYSE-ARG),
today announced it has named Thomas C. Deas, Jr., Chief Financial Officer,
effective February 24, 1997.
Mr. Deas, 46, joins Airgas after serving Scott Paper Company for 18 years
in various financial and strategic management positions. From 1988 to 1996,
he was vice president, treasury and assistant treasurer at Scott. Most
recently, he served as chief financial officer at Maritrans Inc., a New York
Stock Exchange-listed shipping company in the Philadelphia area.
"Tom brings to Airgas broad financial and strategic knowledge which will
be of enormous value as we move forward with our growth plans," said Peter
McCausland, chief executive officer of Airgas. "He has considerable
experience in transactional situations and strong management skills. We are
delighted that he will be part of the Airgas team."
A native of the Philadelphia area, Mr. Deas received an M.B.A. from the
Wharton School and a B.S. in physics from the University of South Carolina.
He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1972 to 1976.
Airgas, Inc. is the largest distributor of industrial, medical and
specialty gases and related equipment in North America. Its distributor
network includes over 570 locations in 41 states, Mexico and Canada. Airgas
can be visited via the Internet at htpp://www.airgas.com.
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