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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):
May 26, 1998
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.)
259 North Radnor-Chester Road, Suite 100
Radnor, PA 19087
_________________________________________
(Address of principal executive offices)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (610) 687-5253
_______________
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Item 5. Other Events.
____________
On May 26, 1998, Airgas, Inc. announced the appointment of Scott
M. Melman
as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as described in the
press
release attached as Exhibit 99 and incorporated herein by
reference.
Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and
Exhibits
__________________________________________________________________
(a) None
(b) None
(c) Exhibits.
99 Press Release dated May 26, 1998
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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/ Gordon L. Keen, Jr.
_______________________
Senior Vice President
Law & Corporate Development
DATED: May 26, 1998
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EXHIBIT 99.1
AIRGAS, INC. NAMES SCOTT MELMAN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
RADNOR, PA, MAY 26, 1998 -- Airgas, Inc. (NYSE-ARG) announced
the
appointment of Scott M. Melman, 41, as Vice President and Chief
Financial
Officer effective today. Mr. Melman, who had been Vice President
and Chief
Administrative Officer, succeeds Thomas C. Deas, Jr. who is leaving
Airgas and
will be pursuing other interests.
"This appointment recognizes Scott's strong financial
background as well
as his administrative and leadership skills," said Peter
McCausland, Chief
Executive Officer of Airgas. "We look forward to Scott's broadened
contributions as Airgas progresses toward its goal of becoming a
multi-billion
dollar, world-class distribution company."
Mr. Melman joined Airgas as Controller in 1986 and became
Vice President
and Chief Administrative Officer in 1995. Prior to joining Airgas,
Mr. Melman
was Controller for Integrated Circuit Systems, Inc. and, before
that, was Tax
Manager at KPMG Peat Marwick LLP. A native of Philadelphia, he is
a graduate
of Drexel University.
Airgas is the largest distributor of industrial, medical and
specialty
gases and related equipment in North America with over $1.5 billion
in sales.
Its distributor network includes approximately 700 locations in 43
states,
Canada and Mexico.
CONTACT: James R. Rapp at 610-902-6224. Airgas, Inc.'s press
releases
are available through CompanyNews On-Call by fax, 800-758-5804,
ext. 025050,
or at http://www.prnewswire.com and the company's web site at
http://www.airgas.com.
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