The following piece was written and based mostly from an e-mail conversation with Dr. Petruska's long-time colleague and friend, Dr. Robert Baker...
Dr. John A. Petruska was born in 1933 and "grew up in poverty in rural northeastern Canada." It was a fascination for science, in particular physics and chemistry, that brought him to the University of Chicago, where he received his Doctorate in 1961. He would make several stops, among them a Post-Doc at Caltech with Nobel laureate Dr. Linus Pauling, before joining the Faculty at USC in 1968, along with Dr. Baker.
The two of them would spend many lunches together, tossing around questions and ideas like youngsters out playing catch with a football. John "marveled at the universality of the genetic code and the ways that higher biological cells differentiate into [other] kinds of cells, [all within] the same organism." And though he saw what everyone else was seeing in the natural and physical world, he seemed to always come up with ideas that were entirely different and new.
For John, being an educator was just as important as being a scientist; "they went hand in hand." In fact, he never stopped doing either (Dr. Petruska taught parts of BISC-435, 493 and 494 this Spring). He also was the advisor for the Alpha Alpha chapter of Phi Sigma, an honor society for biology students. John was always willing to impart his knowledge and speak on topics that were of great interest to him. At his best, students noted his passion and enthusiasm. His love for science simply poured out of his lecture slides and into detailed explanations of various subject matter like zinc fingers and mutagenesis.
And though it would seem his mind was always on work, John "truly cared for his [late] wife, Marti, and his children, David and Mark." He and Marti lived in San Marino, where she was a docent at The Huntington. When she passed in 2008, John remained “optimistic and looked to the bright side.” Perhaps, it was his duty to the university who welcomed him more than 50 years ago and all the relationships he had formed over that span that kept him going. Sadly, we must now go on without him. There is no denying that his presence will surely be missed.
To a great man, scientist, father, and friend.
2 comments:
John was a patient and kind instructor, especially to a non-bio major such as me. I took his class in the summer of 1996. I remember that class fondly. He was an extraordinary man and USC was fortunate to count him as one of their faculty.
- Sharon Walker c/o 1998
I met Prof Petruska many times during my USC shuttle ride from Union Station to the main campus. He used to ask me regarding the progress of my research project at USC and regarding my Ph.D. in the Netherlands. He had so much to share on DNA research. I remember a day when he was discussing the recent paper he published, he was discussing it in such detail explaining all hypothesis and experimental models, I didn't even realize that we arrived at UPC. He was such an enthusiastic and motivated person, and always encouraged me. He worked till his last breath, RIP John, you would be missed by thousands of strangers like me who didn't work with you or spent a lot of time but you have left your mark in their life.
- Milind M Pore, Postdoctoral Researcher
USC Michelson center of Convergent Bioscience
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