April 15, 2005--The following tribute was presented by John L. Burmeister, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, at the General Faculty Meeting on April 11.

Emeritus Prof/ John C. Wriston Jr. passed away suddenly, but peacefully, Saturday evening, Nov. 6, 2004, at his home in Newark, Del.

Born the summer of 1925, he lived in Vermont during most of his early life, where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Tam, in the spring of 1945. A graduate of Swanton High School and the University of Vermont (1948), he served three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II before earning his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1953.

In 1955, after postdoctoral study at the University of Colorado, he joined the chemistry department at the University of Delaware as its first biochemist. He had a major role in the formation and growth of the biochemistry division within the department. He taught a variety of courses, including both general chemistry and advanced topics in biochemistry, and supervised many graduate and undergraduate students in his laboratory. His principal research interest was the structure and function of the enzyme L-asparaginase and its use in anti-cancer therapy. He had sabbatical leaves at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and at the Carlsburg Laboratory in Denmark. For many years, he was an active member of the American Association of University Professors and served as an officer and contract negotiator. His personal integrity, principled stances, intellectual curiosity, broad interests, command of the English language and ability to engage in reasoned discussion earned him the friendship and respect of many within and beyond his profession. He retired as professor emeritus in 1985 and continued to teach a course in biochemistry through the spring of 2004. He felt strongly about education and made a point of learning about the latest developments in biochemistry to incorporate into his teaching.

Within the department, he maintained a notorious and widely read bulletin board of clippings from The New York Times and Nature, cartoons from The New Yorker and beautiful scenes from his beloved Vermont. In his leisure, John pursued his lifelong passion for his family, the community, books, hiking and “trail-blazing,”Vermont history, politics and the Newark Free Library. After retirement, he contributed more than 20 articles on Vermont postal history to the Vermont Philatelist, and in 1991, he published Vermont Inns and Taverns. Excepts from his recent research were incorporated into the “Vermont Book of Days, “which was aired on Vermont Public Television and commercial radio stations and newspapers within Vermont. Active in the University of Delaware Association of Retired Faculty, he coordinated the group’s special activities for many years, including organizing teams to walk in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for several years and participating in the state’s Adopt-a-Highway program.

He is survived by a large and loving family including his wife, Tam Wriston of Newark; his sister, Cynthia Massey of Canandaquia, N.Y.; his children, Michael J. Wriston of Richmond, Va., Gail A. Mitchell of Carlisle, Pa., and Priscilla W. Wilson of Wilmington; and his eight grandsons and two granddaughters. His youngest daughter Amy, for who he never stopped grieving, passed away last winter. He was laid to rest at a family site in Vermont.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has established the John C. Wriston Jr. Memorial Lectureship in recognition of his manifold contributions to the department and to the University.

Nov. 9, 2004--John C. Wriston, professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry, died Saturday, Nov. 6, at his home in Newark.

Born in 1925, he lived most of his early life in Vermont, where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Tam, in 1945. A graduate of the University of Vermont, he served three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II before earning his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1953. There, he worked on the biosynthesis of heme, the oxygen carrying portion of hemoglobin.

In 1955, after postdoctoral study at the University of Colorado, Dr. Wriston joined UD’s chemistry department as its first biochemist. He had a major role in the formation and growth of the biochemistry division within the department. He taught a variety of courses from general chemistry to advanced topics in biochemistry and supervised many graduate and undergraduate students in his laboratory.

His principal research interest was the structure and function of the enzyme L-asparaginase and its use in anticancer therapy. He had sabbatical leaves at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and at the Carlsberg Laboratory in Denmark.

For many years, Dr. Wriston was an active member of the American Association of University Professors and served as an officer and contract negotiator.

“His personal integrity, principled stances, intellectual curiosity, broad interests, command of the English language and ability to engage in reasoned discussion earned him the friendship and respect of many within and beyond his profession,” Harold B. White, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said.

After his retirement in 1985, he was awarded emeritus status, and he continued to teach a course in biochemistry until the spring of this year. “He felt strongly about education and made a point of learning about the latest developments in biochemistry so he could incorporate new discoveries into his teaching. Within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, he maintained a widely read bulletin board of clippings from The New York Times and Nature, cartoons from The New Yorker and beautiful scenes of his beloved Vermont,” White said.

Active in the University of Delaware Association of Retired Faculty (UDARF), he coordinated the group’s special activities for many years, including organizing teams to walk in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for several years and participating in the state’s Adopt-a-Highway program.

His leisure interests included his family, the commmunity, books, hiking, Vermont history, politics and the Newark Free Library. He contributed more than 20 articles on Vermont postal history to the Vermont Philatelist, and, in 1991, he published Vermont Inns and Taverns. Excerpts from his recent research have been incorporated into The Vermont Book of Days, which will be aired on Vermont Public Television and commercial radio stations and newspapers in that state.

He is survived by his wife; his sister, Cynthia Massey of Canandaguia, N.Y.; his children, Michael J. Wriston of Richmond, Va., Gail A. Mitchell of Carlisle, Pa., and Priscilla W. Wilson of Wilmington; eight grandsons and two granddaughters. His youngest daughter, Amy, died last winter.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13, in Room 101 Brown Laboratory.

Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Friends of the Newark Free Library or to the Nature Conservancy, c/o R.T. Foard & Jones, 122 West Main St., Newark, DE 19711.

To send condolences, visit [www.rtfoard.com].