[RASMB] Ken van Holde

[Michael Morris]

Who doesn’t have a copy – or several copies – of Physical Biochemistry?

I’m looking fondly through my marked-up copies now…

Ken is part of our Pantheon.
 

On 11/11/19, 8:01 am, "RASMB on behalf of Kirk C Aune" <rasmb-bounces at list.rasmb.org on behalf of kaune at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    Borries, thank you for the notice on Ken van Holde.  It also saddens me 
    for his work influenced my career as well.  Those of us "growing-up" in 
    the early years of physical biochemistry had some wonderfully gifted 
    colleagues.
    
    
    On 2019-11-10 15:09, Borries Demeler wrote:
    > Dear Colleagues,
    > I am saddened to let you know that my mentor Ken van Holde passed early
    > Saturday morning, surrounded by his children, in Corvallis, Oregon.
    >
    > Ken was a remarkable scientist, mentor, role model, and full of humanity.
    > I had the privilege to join his lab in the late 80'ties when I started my
    > PhD at Oregon State University in Corvallis. He was well known from his
    > biophysical work using analytical ultracentrifugation, studying hemocyanin
    > and the structure and function of chromatin. He also contributed a large
    > body of research to AUC methodology and solution biophysics, including
    > several textbooks.
    >
    > His career in academia started at the University of Wisconsin in Madison
    > with an undergraduate degree, and later a PhD. If I recall correctly,
    > it was there that he first encountered an analytical ultracentrifuge.
    > He continued as assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin in
    > Milwaukee, and in 1957 he moved to the University of Illinois where
    > he advanced to Professor. In 1967 he moved to Oregon, to the Dept.
    > of Biochemistry and Biophysics.
    >
    > He was an internationally recognized scholar, having received multiple
    > important awards, including the Monie A. Ferst Award, he was appointed
    > to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and
    > Sciences, and he also held the title of American Cancer Society Research
    > Professor. Ken was further recognized by the Guggenheim foundation, and
    > received awards from NSF, EMBO, and the Centre National de la Recherche
    > Scientifique. He traveled frequently and spent considerable time abroad,
    > primarily in France and Germany, to conduct research with scientists
    > from many different fields.
    >
    > When I was in Oregon, every summer he packed up a station wagon and drove
    > across the country to teach the physiology course at the Marine Biological
    > Laboratory in Woods Hole, where he also interacted with David Yphantis,
    > who passed earlier this year.
    >
    > At Oregon State University, Ken was named an OSU Distinguished Professor
    > in 1988, and in 1993 he retired as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
    > His career didn't end with his retirement, he still wrote several books
    > and continued to serve as associate editor of JBC. I'm sure I am leaving
    > out a lot, but if you have fond memories of Ken, please share them with us.
    >
    > Regards, -Borries
    >
    > P.S. I received this from a friend of mine at OSU:
    >
    > Ken recently produced a book of his poetry and the last poem in the
    > collection, penned in 2014 is entitled “An Old Man”. It reads:
    >
    > /Once,/
    >
    > /When I was young and frantic/
    >
    > /I saw an old man sitting/
    >
    > /alone in a garden/
    >
    > /I thought, how sad/
    >
    > /that we should come to this./
    >
    > //
    >
    > /Now I am old./
    >
    > /The frenzy is gone./
    >
    > /I have learned the beauty/
    >
    > /of a fading afternoon;/
    >
    > /the mystery of night./
    >
    > //
    >
    > /I spend hours/
    >
    > /sitting/
    >
    > /watching/
    >
    > /waiting./
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    -- 
    Kirk C Aune, PhD
    7647 Cortona Drive
    Granger, IN 46530
    (574) 286-3262
    Linux User #1720
    
    
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