N Debye -Chemistry-Towson University

Nordulf W.G. Debye
Professor, Department of Chemistry
PhD Cornell University
BA Rice University

Dear friend, colleague or visitor,

The posting of this message indicates that I have finally succumbed to my struggle with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, an uncommon type of lymphoma with which I was diagnosed in December 2007 and which has a dismal prognosis and no known cure.

It is with deep sadness that I have taken leave of my five beautiful children with ages 7 through 34 and of my beloved spouse, Irene, my best friend, soul mate and the love of my life. It is truly my family which has given me the greatest pleasure and satisfaction in my life. It is our children who remind us constantly of the important things in life and who remind us how often we adults, in our adult lives, behave just like toddlers in the sandbox.

It is also with great sadness that I leave behind my Towson students behind. Helping them learn chemistry has been one of the passions in my life, a passion which has been richly rewarded when they have later shared with me stories of their successes.

My life has been rich and filled with adventure. Born towards the end of that horrible 2nd World War in which 50-60 million men, women and children perished in the flames of conflict, I experienced the life of a refugee as my family fled westward in Germany to reach the friendly British Zone and to escape from the bestial brutality of the invading Red army. At that time, our toys included discarded rifle cartridges which we threw against stone walls to see if we could get them to go off. The most prized toy was a wing tip fuel tank which would be cut in half in order to make a small boat. We stole potatoes and apples from farmers' fields. The biggest treat on Sunday would be a slice of white bread with butter and loaded with sugar.

Then when I reached my eighth birthday, all this changed. We traveled by the Holland-America Line to visit my grandparents in upstate New York. This overnight transition from the devastation of Germany to the land of strawberries and ice cream was truly dramatic. A planned two year visit turned into a permanent immigration (documented!) into the U.S. My grandparents became the "surrogate parents" of my brother and me, as they guided our development from our arrival in the US until we left their home for college. Throughout my life, I have been deeply appreciative of the kind, loving home in which they allowed us to flourish. My grandmother came from Munich, my grandfather from Maastricht and the language we spoke at home was German. This meant that I have always straddled two cultures, belonging to neither but deeply enriched by being so familiar with both. Only through the familiarity of another culture, obtained naturally in a bilingual family or through extensive foreign travel, does one become aware of how different people can effectively solve the same problem in different ways and does one become aware of the great danger and evil inherent in extreme patriotism.

My grandfather was the most important role model in my life. He never suggested what career I should choose as he believed that one should follow one's talents and passions. Although he came from a working class family at a time when access to universities was basically reserved for the privileged, he managed on the base of his talent and his motivation to become one of the most renowned scientists of the 20th century. He cared nothing about a person's racial, ethnic, religious background but evaluated people on their talent and accomplishments. He valued the gas station attendant, the storekeeper just as much as he did his peers. This deep and equal respect for everyone of any class, race or religion who does their task well became a driving force in my life.

Although my first marriage lasted 25 years and included many happy days, it finally floundered. But the marriage also produced my eldest son, a handsome and now successful young man whom I have loved deeply, of whom I am extremely proud. It was some years after my separation and divorce that I had the good fortune to meet Irene, truly the love of my life. We built together a new family of four delightful children, who I have loved deeply and of whom I am equally proud. We, as a family, have experienced together the most wonderful times.

I enjoyed immensely my employment at Towson University which gave me the opportunity to experience the life of a professor, of a department chairman and the life of an associate dean. This academic environment allowed me to pursue relentlessly the love of my professional life, helping along students in their quest for knowledge. Towson also allowed me to generously pursue my interests in experimental chemistry and in professional writing. In these endeavors, I am forever grateful for the generous help of my three closest and the most talented colleagues I have encountered here at Towson: Floyd Blankenship, Frank Milio and Boon Loo. Unfortunately, I saw the first two of these three remarkable educators pre-decease me. Floyd, a true genius, always had an answer to every question which anyone ever posed be it in chemistry, physics, mathematics or electronics. Frank with his native curiosity driving him to constantly learn more about the application of chemistry in everyday life and with his remarkable social skills was crucial in us developing departmental outreach programs such as the successful High School Teacher Enhancement Program. Boon, an excellent researcher with many international collaborations and who has an unusual talent for mentoring undergraduates, has taught me the ins and outs of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

So I have now departed in a simple fashion in the belief that old professors should not cling on to their power and glory but, rather, fade away to make room for the young men and women ready and capable to take their place. It is with great sadness and regret that I have left my family behind yet also with the firm conviction that my family will flourish under the guidance of and with the love it receives steadily from my beloved wife, Irene.

From ashes to ashes, dust to dust..........................

Contact: +1 410-704-3046 (voice) +1 410-704-4265 (fax) ndebye@towson.edu