PEOPLE
THREE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA PROFESSORS KILLED THREE PROFESSORS of biological sci-
from Washington University in St. Louis in 1979 and M.S. degrees in biology from Tennessee Technological University in 1981 and from UAH in 1986. He earned a Ph.D. in animal science and nutritional physiology from North Carolina State University in 1989, before joining UAH as an assistant
U OF ALABAMA, HUNTSVILLE (ALL)
ences at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, were killed in a campus shooting on Feb. 12. They were among those allegedly shot by a UAH associate professor of biological sciences during a regularly scheduled faculty meeting.
sity in 1987. He then accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Ohio State University. Podila started his career as an assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at Michigan Technological University, in Houghton, in 1990. He was recruited to serve as professor and chair of the department of biological sciences at UAH in 2002 and helped to build its Ph.D. program and develop connections with the local biotechnology industry. In addition, Podila conducted pioneering research in plant biology, focusing on bioenergy, plant-microbe interactions, plant genetics, and biotechnology. Podila had published more than 90 research papers and three books, and he held four patents. He served on the editorial boards of numerous journals. He served as a visiting professor at the University of Urbino and University of Torino, both in Italy; the University of Stuttgart, in Germany; and the Finnish National Academy. Podila is survived by his wife, Vani; and daughters, Bindu and Anila.
OTHER OBITUARIES H. Smith Broadbent, 89, an emeritus proDavis
Johnson
Maria Ragland Davis, 50, an associate pro-
fessor, was born in Detroit. Davis received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1981. She then earned an M.S. in chemical engineering in 1985 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1992, both from North Carolina State University, Raleigh. She was a postdoctoral research fellow at Monsanto, in St. Louis. She worked as a senior scientist in the plant-science department at Huntsvillebased Research Genetics for seven years until the firm was sold to Invitrogen. Davis joined UAH in 2002, teaching and conducting research on molecular biology and plant genetics. Davis took a special interest in encouraging minority students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to pursue careers in science. She is survived by her husband, Sammie Lee Davis, and three stepchildren. Adriel D. Johnson, 52, an associate biology
professor, was born in Tuskegee, Ala. Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in biology
Podila
professor. He focused on the areas of cell biology and nutritional physiology. Johnson was widely recognized for his support of minority students interested in pursuing careers in science, engineering, and math. He directed the campus chapter of the Alabama Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Johnson was a member of Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. He had received awards for his volunteer work with the Boy Scouts. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Jacqueline; and sons, Adriel Jr. and Jeriel. Gopi K. Podila, 52, a professor and chair
of the biological sciences department, was born in Guntur, India. Podila earned a bachelor’s degree in botany in 1978 and a master’s degree in plant pathology and soil microbiology in 1980 from Nagarjuna University, in India. He continued his education in the U.S., earning a master’s degree in plant pathology from Louisiana State University in 1983 and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Indiana State UniverWWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
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fessor of chemistry at Brigham Young University (BYU), died on Jan. 19 at his home in Provo, Utah. Born in Snowflake, Ariz., Broadbent earned a B.S. in both chemistry and mathematics from BYU in 1942. He then attended Iowa State University, where he worked on the Manhattan Project before earning a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1946 under Henry Gilman. Subsequently, he conducted postdoctoral research in physical organic chemistry at Harvard University with Paul Bartlett. Broadbent then accepted a position as an assistant professor of chemistry at BYU. He was appointed professor in 1952 and served as chairman of the BYU chemistry department from 1955 to 1958 as the university established a Ph.D. program. His research focused primarily on heterocyclic chemistry, including synthesis of heterocycles and catalytic hydrogenation. During one sabbatical, Broadbent served as a group leader in medicinal chemistry
research at Schering from 1958 to 1959. He was also a visiting research scientist with the C. F. Kettering Laboratory from 1962 to 1963 and with Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories from 1970 to 1971. He was a visiting professor both at Kuwait University and at the University of Konstanz, in Germany, in 1980. Broadbent consulted for the Army on technical problems with explosives and ordnance disposal. He also lectured in the U.S., Europe, China, and the Middle East. He retired from BYU in 1985. After retirement, he taught in China at Qingdao Institute of Chemical Technology and at Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences. He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1946. Broadbent is survived by his wife of 67 years, Katherine; eight children; 46 grandchildren; and 50 great-grandchildren. Thomas A. (Adrian) George, 68, a pro-
George S. Patterson, 62, a professor in
Suffolk University’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, died on Oct. 24, 2009, of cancer in Boston. Born in Moline, Ill., Patterson earned a B.S. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1969 and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in R. H. Holm’s group before joining the Suffolk faculty in 1974. Patterson was department chair, taught general chemistry, and served as a freshman adviser. He was a member of ACS, joining in 1969. He is survived by two nephews, Brian and Bradley; and a stepniece, Elaine Knowles. He was predeceased by his parents and brother, Jim. Paul J. Ricca, 70, founder of Ricca Chemi-
fessor of chemistry at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), died on Feb. 4 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in Darlington, England, George received a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Manchester in 1963 and a doctorate from the University of Sussex in 1966 for studies on aminostannanes. After postdoctoral studies on metallocarboranes with M. Frederick Hawthorne at the University of California, Riverside, George joined the chemistry department at UNL in 1968. George was the author of more than 90 papers in inorganic and organometallic chemistry, including key early publications related to inorganic and organometallic models for dinitrogen fixation. He received a number of UNL awards, including the Hazel R. McClymont Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award, which he was given in 2009. He was a member of ACS, joining in 1969. He served as chair of the ACS Nebraska Section and membership chair of the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry. He was a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Sigma Xi, and was active in the chemistry honor society Phi Lambda Upsilon. Away from the lab, George enjoyed experiencing the four seasons on his rural acreage outside Lincoln. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Denise; daughter, Katie Rasmussen; son, Tom; a granddaughter; and a brother, Paul.
cal, died on Oct. 30, 2009, two days after being struck with an aneurysm. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ricca earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Syracuse University in 1961 and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Purdue University in 1965. After serving two years as an Army officer, Ricca joined LTV Aerospace in 1967. He then accepted a position as vice president and director of laboratories at Anderson Laboratories, in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1971. Four years later, he started Arlington, Texasbased Ricca Chemical, an independent manufacturer of chemical testing products. He retired in 1998. Ricca was a retired member of ACS, joining in 1963, and was an active supporter of the Dallas-Fort Worth Section. He was also a member of Alpha Chi Sigma and Phi Lambda Upsilon chemistry fraternities, Sigma Xi honorary research fraternity, and the National Society of Scabbard & Blade. He enjoyed traveling and playing racquetball, golf, and cards. Ricca is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mary Ann; sons, Peter and Bernard; and three grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Ann Marie. Roy L. Whistler, 97, the Emeritus Hillen-
brand Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry at Purdue University and a member of the ACS Board of Directors in
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the 1950s, died at his home on Feb. 7. Born in Tiffin, Ohio, Whistler earned a B.S. in chemistry from Heidelberg College in 1934, an M.S. in chemistry from Ohio State University in 1935, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Iowa State University in 1938. He began his career at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards & Technology) in 1938, before serving as head of the Starch Structure Group of the Department of Agriculture’s Northern Regional Research Laboratory, in Peoria, Ill., from 1940 until 1945. He then accepted a position at Purdue, where he would spend most of his career. Whistler made major contributions to the study of carbohydrate chemistry but was best known for pioneering research on polysaccharides, which he promoted for use in industrial applications. Whistler authored, coauthored, or edited numerous books, including “Polysaccharide Chemistry,” “Industrial Gums,” “Starch: Chemistry and Technology,” and the series “Methods in Carbohydrate Chemistry.” He played a major role in the founding of the International Carbohydrate Organization and its International Carbohydrate Symposium. He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1938. He was a member of the ACS Board of Directors from 1955 to 1958 and held many offices in the Division of Carbohydrate Chemistry and the Cellulose & Renewable Materials Division (CELL). Whistler received many awards, including the ACS Claude S. Hudson Award in Carbohydrate Chemistry, CELL’s Anselme Payen Award, and the Kenneth A. Spencer Award from the ACS Kansas City Section. At Purdue, a building, a carbohydrate research center, and a chair position are named in Whistler’s honor. The International Carbohydrate Organization also established an award in his name. He founded the Roy Whistler Foundation in 1997 for the preservation of natural land and wildlife in the north central Indiana area. Whistler was preceded in death by his wife, Lee. He is survived by a son, William; and three grandchildren. SUSAN J. AINSWORTH writes Obituaries.
Obituary notices may be sent to s_ainsworth@ acs.org and should include a detailed educational and professional history.
