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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Re: [mukto-mona] The passing away of my mentor Prof. I.C. Gunsalus - a beautiful mind

Dear Jaffor:
 
Thank you so much for sharing the news of Professor Gunsalus' death.
An exceptional man with outstanding contributions.
 
Season's greetings and a great New Year.
 
Cheers
-fazle

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Fazle Hussain
Departments of Mechanical Engineering,
   Physics, and Geosciences
University of Houston
4800 Calhoun Rd.
Houston, TX 77204 - 4006
(713) 743 - 4545
fhussain@uh.edu


On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 3:42 PM, Jaffor Ullah <jhankar@bellsouth.net> wrote:

My mentor Prof. Irwin C. Gunsalus died in his sleep on October 25, 2008 at the age of 96.  He was a very influential biologist of twentieth century.  His obituary note - a full-length article - was published in New York Times on November 22, 2008. 
 
Prof. Gunsalus was a freethinker all through his life.  He was a co-adviser to Nobel laureate Dr. James D. Watson (JDW), the co-discoverer of DNA structure.  Prof. Gunsalus was a teacher at Indiana University in Bloomington where JDW did his doctoral research in biology. Prof. Gunsalus was invited by Prof. S. Luria, JDW's main thesis advisor, to join the faculty at IU Bloomington in late 1940s.
 
In 1958-59 Prof. Gunsalus also advised another young teacher at the University of Illinois who was a natural product chemist.  His name is Prof. E. J. Corey who went on to receive the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1990.  Prof. Corey synthesized many terpin like compounds for Professor Gunsalus. As a researcher, I had the chance to use many of the manmade terpins synthesized by Prof. Corey.  As per NY Times article Prof. Gunsalus discovered vitamin-like substance, Lipoic Acid. 
 
I joined Prof. Gunsalus's lab in 1981 when he was about to retire from active duty at the age of 70.  He mentored me not only in the field of protein biochemistry but also taught me to be a freethinking human being.  I was in his lab for nearly 4 years (1981 through 1985).  Prof. Gunsalus and I became very good friend in the last two decades when he moved to Pensacola, Florida - a town only 4 hours drive from where I live.  He visited New Orleans few times and I also visited him several times; we communicated on a regular basis. 
 
With the passing away of Prof. Gunsalus the world lost a very creative mind.  The word "retirement" was never in his vocabulary.  Until his death he served as the founding editor of "Biochemical Biophysical Research Communication: - a premier scientific journal.  His life should serve as a prototype for many of us who took up writing not only as an avocation but to teach younger folks how to seek out truth and how to be a better and compassionate human being. 

 

Here is the link to Professor Gunsalus's obituary note published in the New York Times:

 
A.H. Jaffor Ullah      


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