A 1957 graduate of the University of Colorado with a Ph.D. in physics, “Merc” Mercure helped start the Ball Brothers Research Corp., which later became Ball Aerospace. He also was a founder of Colorado Venture Management, lending his expertise to numerous Colorado-based start-ups. In 1996, he founded CDM Optics in Boulder. At CU, Mercure directed engineering and tech transfer programs and helped establish the Optoelectronic Computing Systems Center. He has served the Boulder community as a member of city council, the planning board and housing authority.