Memoir - Rengachary Parthasarathy (1939 - 2025)

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Life Journey From Nagari to San Jose
By Narasinga Rao

Born in Nagari on May 17, 1939,, Madras Presidency, India. studying in Trichy and Madras, moving to Buffalo, New York , resettling after retirement in San Jose, California, Parthasarathy, known as “Partha” passed away at his home surrounded by all family members, on June 15, 2025at 9:26 AM on Father’s Day, at the age of 88. Funeral services were held at Alameda Family Funeral and Cremation Inc.in Saratoga, California on Wednesday, June 18. Memorial services began at 12:30 pm, followed by final rites from 1:15 to 2:15 pm. May His soul Rest in Peace!

Partha and Prema immigrated to the United States in February 1963 so that Dr. Partha could join the Department of Crystallography at Roswell Park Memorial Institute (now known as Roswell Park Cancer Institute).. He is survived by his wife, three sons – two married and their wives, one bachelor, one daughter and her husband, and 8 grand children.

He was caring, compassionate, dedicated, dependable, passionate, student focused, humble, unfailingly kind, generous, and empathetic with a uniquely quick wit. His heart was most often turned toward the Divine. He loved religion to research and walked the path between sound and silence and between tradition and transformation.

He earned a second Ph.D.in Biophysics, from State university of New York At Buffalo, in 1966,.the first one in Physics, from University of Madras, Tamil Nadu, India, in 1962, Master of Science in Physics, from St. Joseph's College, Trichy., University of Madras, Tamil Nadu, India, in 1958. He worked with Dr. G.N. Ramachandran in Madras and with Dr. David Harker, one of the pioneers of Crystallography in Center for Crystallographic Research, Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York.

He was an Emeritus Professor, Biophysics Department, State University of New York, Buffalo, June 1996 to Present. • Research Professor of Biophysics, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 1976 to 1996. • Director of Graduate Studies, Biophysics Dept., SUNY Buffalo, NY (Roswell Park Division ) 1978 to 1992 Honors • Co-Editor of Acta Crystallographica 1994-1997 • Recipient of several research and equipment grants from national agencies,1969 to 1996 • Member of peer review and site visit committees of NIH and NCI • Consultant, United Nations Development Program for technology transfer in biophysics to India, 1985-1986 • Recipient of several fellowships (NATO Fellowship, Advanced Study Institute on Direct Methods, Parma , Italy, 1970; CECAM Fellowship for visiting scientist, Univ. of Paris, Orsay, France, 1970; NSF Grant for IX IUCR meeting, Kyoto, Japan, 1972; NIH Consultant for International Symposium on Biomolecular Structure, Univ. of Madras, India, 1978) • Raman Research Gold Medal for the best Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. of Madras, India, 1965 • Fr. Sewell Gold Medal, St. Joseph’s College for First Rank in Physics Honors, 1957.

He was a lifelong teacher in whatever subject fascinated him. He taught graduate science classes at SUNY Buffalo, undergraduate classes at San Jose State University, lectured at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in India, and enjoyed tutoring high school students in physics, chemistry, and math. He was a guide, friend and philosopher to all his students. Just as Lord Krishna (Sarathy) guided Arjuna (Partha), the warrior to win the war of righteousness in the Hindu Epic Mahabharatha, Dr. Parthasarathy guided and advised all his students to the success in their lives true to his name. We all owe him a sense of gratitude to what we are today.

Partha loved God. He spoke on the Bhagavad Gita, was an ardent devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and hosted the Sai Center in his home in Buffalo for many years. Partha and Prema were pivotal in nurturing the Hindu Cultural Society of Western New York, helping it grow into a vibrant community that ultimately built a Hindu temple in Buffalo.

“Thank You”-Dr.Parthasarathy from Narasinga Rao & Manuel Soriano Garcia

For our part, our life in USA began on June 1,1970 in their home \at Williamsville, NY. We stayed with them for few weeks before moving into an apartment in Buffalo.. Dr. Parthasarathy was my guide, mentor and thesis advisor. I was his first graduate student to earn Ph.D. under him. When Partha was a member of the nominating committee of American Crystallographic Association, in 1989, he recommended my name to be the Treasurer.. I was elected and served as treasurer for 6 years and Chief Financial Officer for 25 years before I retired in 2020. Thanks to ACA and Partha for this opportunity.

- Narasinga Rao : Ex-CFO and Treasurer, American Crystallographic Association (ACA) ,Ex-member, Finance Committee, International Union of Crystallography (IUCR), Fellow of ACA, Ex-Governing Board member, American Institute of Physics, and Dean Emeritus and Professor of Physics, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma 

When I was working as a postdoctoral fellow at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Partha offered me a job at Roswell Park Memorial Institute when a vacancy arose. There was only a 24-hour time period to fill the position. Ad I was under an obligation in Oklahoma to give a two weeks notice, I could not join the group led by Dr. Harker, Dr. Gopinath Kartha and Dr. Parthasarathy., It was unfortunate and thanks to Partha for thinking of me first. This shows how he cared for his students even after they left. He always kept a personal touch with our family.

Before I joined the Center for Crystallographic Research as a graduate student, Dr David Harker who was the chair of the Biophysics department at Roswell Park. Asked me in the interview : I have one Indian, Kartha who eats meat and does not drink. I have another one, Partha who drinks but does not eat meat. What kind of an Indian are you ?. I replied that I do not drink and do not eat meat. Harker laughed and I was admitted to work with Partha. This was the turning point in my career, and I am very fortunate to be mentored and guided by Parthasarathy . We are ever grateful to Partha and Prema throughout my life.

- Manuel Soriano Garcia, Mexico : Manuel is a Mexican bio-physicist, researcher, educator, recipient of National Manel Andres Delk Rio award in Chemistry, Chemistry society of Mexico, 1990 , research scientist Level III, education secretary Mexico, 1992 and Professor Emeritus Autonomous University of Mexico (UNANM)

"Today in the afternoon, June 15, 2025, I received a phone call from Prof. Narasinga Rao, in which he informed me that Prof. Rengachary Parthasarathy had passed away earlier that morning.

The news has two sides—one good and the other very sad. The good side is that Professor Parthasarathy had been suffering from severe lung and bone cancer for a long time and had endured a great deal. His passing now allows for a release from pain, both for him and for his family.

The sad side is that we have lost a person with great scientific expertise. During his time as a research professor at the Crystallography Institute of Roswell Park Hospital in Buffalo, New York, he made significant contributions to the development of the isomorphous replacement technique used to solve the phase problem and determine the crystal structure of proteins. He also contributed to the experimental determination of the imaginary part of the anomalous dispersion factor for the chlorine atom.

Additionally, he supported me in gaining in-depth knowledge of the experimental aspects of collecting diffraction patterns from biologically important molecules and solving the phase problem to obtain the three-dimensional positions of atoms that make up the molecule—in other words, the three-dimensional structure of molecules in the crystalline solid state.

Prof. Parthasarathy supported me as my advisor in the Ph.D. program at the Department of Biophysics at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also turned out to be an excellent friend. In December of 1975, I returned to Mexico with my academic degree and, using the experience I had gained in X-ray crystallography, I established this discipline in my country. At that time, X-ray crystallography was unknown in Mexico, and there wasn’t a single X-ray diffractometer in the country. Prof. Parthasarathy supported me with access to laboratory equipment and also provided financial support for research stays in his lab. This allowed me to continue publishing my research work. Thank you!!! "