Francis K. (Frank) Fong

Fong, 77, died on Oct. 29, 2015, in West Lafayette, Ind.

“Frank had a distinguished career in spectroscopy and energy transfer that evolved into a deep interest in photosynthesis, culminating in his 1974 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ‘Molecular Basis for the Photosynthetic Primary Process.’ He published 161 research papers and authored three books. His research monologue, ‘Light Reaction Path in Photosynthesis,’ recently came out electronically, as well as in a second printing. Frank championed the essential role of light in the photosynthetic reduction of CO₂ for the rest of his career. He was also a prizewinning painter (self-portrait shown).”—John Grutzner, colleague and friend

Most recent title: chief science officer, NSFfunding.com; professor of chemistry, Purdue University

Education: A.B., chemistry, 1959; Ph.D., physical chemistry, 1962, both from Princeton University

Survivors: wife, Margareta; daughter, Christina Fong-Sandholm; sons, Eric and Peter; and six grandchildren