The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is saddened to share the news that Professor Emeritus Frank J. Dinan passed away on Oct. 14 at the age of 90.
Frank received his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University at Buffalo in 1965 and started his career as a faculty member at Canisius in the same year. Frank taught organic chemistry in the department for 45 years. He also taught courses in the All-College Honors Program. Frank was an outstanding professor and scientist, and an inspiration to generations of students. He was always kind, encouraging and caring, and possessed a deep and wonderful humanistic view of life. Frank was a pioneer in the development and implementation of collaborative teaching methods, earning the Koessler Distinguished Faculty Award in part for these efforts. Always quick with a joke, he had at least five on any subject and could put a smile on anyone’s face. Frank’s multiple “letters to the editor” published by the Buffalo News spanned a range of topics mostly related to how proposed changes could result in the betterment of society and the human condition. Frank loved teaching and life, and it showed. He was also a most avid reader, delving into such topics as the origins of the English language and quantum physics. A lifelong Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees fan, Frank could quote stats and team history with the best of them. Although we mourn his passing, the lessons he taught us will always be remembered.
Read Frank Dinan’s obituary in the Buffalo News.
Submitted by: Phillip Sheridan, Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
