Donald D. Kasarda
February 12, 2021
Dr. Donald David Kasarda, accomplished scientist, loving family-man, and true gentleman, died on Friday, February 12, 2021 at 87 years of age in Berkeley, California. Dr. Kasarda was a dedicated scientist for more than 50 years and a recognized global expert in wheat gluten proteins and celiac disease.
He grew up in WilkesBarre Pennsylvania, the youngest of eight children. His own father died when Don was seven years old, and his mother Mary struggled to make ends meet for the family, surviving largely on the income contributed by Don’s older brother, an Air Force navigator.
While living at home, he earned his bachelor’s degree at Kings College. On guidance from his chemistry professor, he then entered the master’s program at Boston College where he flourished academically, though he barely had enough to eat. Don could hardly believe his good fortune when he was accepted into the doctoral program at Princeton University. Rubbing elbows with Nobel laureates… living in the Ivy-covered graduate housing… not to mention taking meals in the HarryPotteresque (his words) dining hall -- these were all heady experiences for him and ones he was grateful for all his days.
Dr. Kasarda received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Princeton in 1961. Following appointments at Bell Laboratories and later at the University of California San Francisco, where he met his beloved wife Ferne, he joined the USDA-ARS Western Regional Research Center in 1964 to study wheat protein structure.
Dr. Kasarda is the author of over 100 research publications and review chapters, with nearly 10,000 citations to date. He received numerous awards for excellence in research, including the Thomas Burr Osbourne Medal for distinguished contributions in the field of Cereal Chemistry in 1993 and the Rank Prize in 2002, along with Dr. Peter Shewry of the UK, in recognition of his work on the molecular characterization of cereal seed storage proteins.
Don retained his lively brain until his last breath.
Amidst all of his professional endeavours, Don found joy in family, woodworking, hiking, and travel. A trip to the ballet or just a good burger with a friend were his perfect evenings. In fact, searching for the perfect burger, ideally from a hole-in-the-wall joint, was a source of delight for him. He despised elitism of any sort. He doted on his grandchildren, always speaking to them (sometimes to their chagrin) as if they were equals in maturity to him. He will be keenly missed.
Dr. Kasarda was predeceased by his wife Ferne. He is survived by his daughter Amy Perrette, son-in-law Jean-Briac (JB) Perrette, and his grandchildren Ansel and Isabelle. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Celiac Disease Foundation in Dr. Kasarda’s memory: https://celiac.org/donate/. A memorial will be planned when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, he would want his friends, colleagues, and family to enjoy a good burger and remember him with fondness.