Chemistry and Biochemistry
Carl Joseph Carrano July 14, 1950 — January 26, 2022
From the program for Carl's Funeral Mass:
Carl Joseph Carrano passed away Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at Palomar Hospital in Poway, California, at the age of 71. Even in his final illness, he turned to his Lord in prayer, surrounded by his loving family.
Carl was born July 14, 1950 in Levittown, New York. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara and went on to earn his Doctorate in Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 1978, where he met and married his wife Mary Watson. Carl's career in academics and research took the family to Berkeley (California), Burlington (Vermont), San Marcos (Texas), and finally to the San Diego area. In 2003 he was named Chair of the Chemistry Department at San Diego State University, where he continued as a professor even after he retired as Chair, and worked tirelessly in his field up to his death.
Carl spent years researching and publishing prolifically in the field of inorganic biochemistry and was a member of the American Chemical Society and an elected member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He was deeply passionate and committed to his work, and will be remembered as a dedicated mentor by his many former students and colleagues.
As a child in the 1950s, he was profoundly formed in an era of optimism and confidence in man's ability to improve his condition through sciences. He carried this deep enthusiasm for the natural world in faith throughout his life. He was unshakeable in his convictions and quietly dedicated to an understanding of the fundamental harmony between faith and reason.
Carl loved Europe and spent many months working and researching with friends and colleagues in Germany, Italy, and Scotland. he loved the ocean and sea travel and volunteered for a number of years with the San Diego Maritime Museum, where he was a member of the sailing crew, annually working past physical limitations to requalify for this privilege. Carl had a deep compassion for the most vulnerable, including the unborn and animals, and many charities were the beneficiaries of his quiet but abundant generosity. he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and an active and faithful member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Ramona, California.
He was preceded in death in 1953 by his mother, Eleanor Rohr Carrano. He was also preceded in death by his father LTC Con N. Carrano and his mother Lucille Marmon Carrano. He is survived by his wife of forty-six years, Mary Carrano; his daughters Jessica Carrano Jansen, Julia Carrano, and Eleanor Carrano; his grandchildren Gianmarco Alessandri and Emile, Xenia, and Clothilde Jansen; and his younger siblings Michael J. Carrano, Eleanor Carrano Sweeney, and John C. Carrano.
"May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your arrival and lead you to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive you and with Lazarus, once a poor man, may you have eternal rest." (from the traditional liturgy of the Requiem Mass)
From Carl's colleagues in the SDSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry:
Carl captained the Department through its most difficult period in memory, taking the helm during the state's long recovery from the dot-com bust of 2001 and holding fast through the Great Recession of 2008, weathering several challenging personnel changes in both the department and upper administration. Carl's leadership of the Department put a premium on insulating faculty from persistent administrative demands, handling more than his share of the day-to-day office workload. Faculty valued his forthrightness as well as his work ethic. He also strove successfully to build relationships with donors, establishing our first sustainable departmental funds based on private donations.
And then there is Carl's brilliant scholarship. With research interests in reactive metal-containing sites in microbial siderophores, his work exemplified the bridge between chemistry and biochemistry. In 2012, this work led to Carl's election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, only the sixth in the history of SDSU. His arrival in the Department brought critical expertise in x-ray crystallography, which we have since expanded. His prior service as an NSF program officer made him a valuable resource to all of us submitting grant proposals. Additionally, many staff and faculty in Chemistry and our neighbors in Geology are grateful to have had Carl's wife Mary and daughter Ellie working among us in the College, and appreciate Carl bringing them to SDSU.
As undergrads, two of our faculty took Carl's senior-level course in inorganic chemistry and remember him as an outstanding, rigorous instructor. Several younger faculty recall that meeting Carl was perhaps the most valuable experience of their hiring interview; he was so generous with his experience and advice. The Department staff also remember him with great affection, again valuing the honesty and frankness that was his hallmark. All of us in the Department feel lucky to have had Carl working among us, and miss him much.