UH professor emeritus Allen Hawley Bartel died Sunday at HospiceCare of Boulder in Boulder, Colo. He was 85.
Bartel served once as Biology and Biochemistry Department chair and taught as a professor of biology and biochemistry from 1958 until his retirement in 1991.
"He was a very dedicated professor as well as a talented administrator," said Joe Eichberg, a professor of biology and biochemistry since 1975. "He was always interested in the welfare of students and faculty."
Bartel was instrumental in establishing the Biophysical Sciences Program at UH, which worked to combine the fields of biology, physics and chemistry and encourage interdisciplinary research.
"He was very knowledgeable in his field and was able to identify quality research at a time when the University wasn’t as involved in research and these departments were just being implemented throughout the country," Eichberg said.
The Biophysical Sciences Program was ultimately approved by the state as a full-fledged department in 1964 and later merged with biochemistry and biology to become the Department of Biology and Biochemistry.
"He recognized the need for this new department and the need for an interdisciplinary approach to problems," Eichberg said.
Bartel also took part in the department’s expansion into the Science ‘ Research 2 Building.
"One of the things that always impressed me about him was that he came from a very good background in education," Eichberg said
Bartel earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate’s degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945.
Bartel was a member of the American Chemical Society for 50 years.
He is survived by his children Ellen Bartel, Matthew Bartel and Warren Bartel and Sarah Hilburn; eight grandchildren; and wife of 56 years Jane Humiston Bartel.
Contributions may be made to HospiceCare of Boulder, 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Lafayette, CO 80026.
