Noted chemist Joseph Calabrese passes away, and his wife days later

Joseph C. Calabrese, 81, of Wilmington, Del., died on Aug. 4 due to complications from cancer.

Joseph C. Calabrese

Joseph was born on June 30,1943, to Roy and Nicolina Calabrese in Cleveland, and moved shortly thereafter to Jamestown, N.Y., where he spent his childhood. He pursued an undergraduate degree in chemistry at Allegheny College in New York. While in college, he worked summers at the United States Naval Support Facility in Indian Head, Md., where he helped develop new propellants.

In 1963, he was invited to the White House lawn to listen to John F. Kennedy Jr. give a speech about the importance of youth in science; a speech that he credits as inspiring his own career. After graduating from Allegheny in 1964, he moved to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, and later, to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry. At Wisconsin, Joe worked under the late Dr. Lawrence Dahl to study hydrogen bonding in organometallic compounds. Joe was an early adopter of computers and a gifted computer programmer throughout his career, even into his retirement.

Owing to his love of Italian culture, he joined the Italian club at University of Wisconsin, where he met his future wife, Flora Liotine.

After obtaining his Ph.D., he moved to Italy for a postdoctoral fellowship, before returning to UW-Madison Chemistry to work as the staff crystallographer. Owing to his love of Italian culture, he joined the Italian Club, where he met his future wife, Flora Liotine. They moved to California for a few years before settling in Wilmington in 1980, after Joe accepted a job at DuPont, in the Division of Central Research and Development.

After he retired in 2011, he ranked No. 237 in the H-index ranking of the world’s most highly cited chemists. His greatest joy in work was to collaborate. Throughout his career, he worked with scientists all over the world, making friends everywhere he went.

His wife Flora died on Aug. 11. He is survived by a son, Mauro; a daughter-in-law, Katherine; two grandchildren, Flora and George; brothers- and sisters-in-law Jim and Sarah Bendo, John and Franca Liotine, and Giulio and Flora Liotine; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Katherine, and his brother Anthony.

Combined services for Joseph and Flora Calabrese were held Aug. 13 at McCrery & Harra Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial was Aug. 14 at St. Mary Magdalen Church, with burial in Jamestown, N.Y. IAH

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