光化学

Vol. 42, No. 1, 2011

ユー ロ ジー

With Deep Condolence toProf. Paul F. Barbara ofUniversity of Texas at Austin
Nara Institute of Science & Technology and National Chiao Tung University Taiwan
Hiroshi MASUHARA,
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Akihiro FURUBE,

Paul passed away on Sunday, 31 October 2010, fromHe stayed in Osaka as a guest professor, while he visited Japan

complications following cardiac arrest at age of 57. We

many times to attend international meetings such as The 8thJapanese chemists have lost one of our best friends, most kindInternationalmentors, and strongest supporters. Paul was born in New York,Systems (1997), JST Symposium in 2001, the 21st international

got Ph. D. in Brown University, started his research career inConference on Photochemistry (2003), and Hamano Life

Bell Laboratory with Prof. Louis Brus, became a professor inScience Meeting (2007). Also Paul and Masuhara organized theUniversity in Minnesota, and later moved to Austin. Initially heJapan-US information Exchange Seminar on “Photophysics andlearned magnetic resonance of radicals and shifted toPhotoconversion in Small Domains by Near-Field Scanningpicosecond laser photolysis study, resulting in his systematicOptical Microscopy” in Napa Valley in 1998, which is also an

investigation on solvation dynamics and energy/electron

unforgettable memory. Paul has intimate contact with Japanesetransfer processes of molecular systems. Masuhara became achemists including Prof. Keisuke Tominaga and accepted many

good friend soon which is indeed ascribed to Paul’s open andJapanese graduate students (Drs. A. Furube, Chie Hosokawa,frank attitude. Masuhara thought that Paul was a little bit late

Takayuki Uwada, Takuji Adachi et al). Some said when Paul

comer to ultrafast laser spectroscopy field as already so many

was in a conference in Japan, he had a conversation at every

scientists (Drs. Porter, Phillips, Hochstrasser, Fleming, Mataga,corner. This episode indicates he was very friendly toward

De Schryver, Yoshihara et al) had worked in the relevant topics.

Japan. Indeed Paul was highly recognized in Japan and honored

In 1980’s Masuhara was trying various extensions of laser

by Japanese Photochemistry Association Special Award (2005).

Conference on

Unconventional Photoactive

chemistry, studying time-resolved reflection spectroscopy, laser
ablation dynamics, laser trapping, and so on, on which Paulgave him warm, kind, and positive comments and advices.
Masuhara was so happy to see that Paul later shifted tonear-field optical microscopy and eventually single molecule
spectroscopy.

At the Christmas party hosted by Paul and his wife Sharon attheir luxurious home, 2009.

The symbolic tower in the campus of The University of Texas
at Austin.

─ 41 ─

 2011 The Japanese Photochemistry Association

光化学

Vol. 42, No. 1, 2011

only chemistry but also philosophy, so I should become aprofessor in US and transfer Paul’s philosophy to nextgeneration”. This is indeed our role as a friend of Paul.

Etter-Harbin Alumni Center in the campus of The University ofTexas at Austin.
On Dec. 12th in 2010, a memorial service celebrating the lifeof Prof. Paul F. Barbara was held at Etter-Harbin Alumni
Center in the campus of The University of Texas at Austin,
where Furube could join as only one Japanese participant. The
total number of participants was about 100-150, including manyof former and current his research group members (calledBarbarians), university staffs, his colleagues and friends fromother universities, and his family. Paul’s daughter (JulietBarbara), started an address to all participants in a quiet
atmosphere, appreciating everyone to join, and then introduced
a lot of memories with Paul in many places all over the worldsuch as Italy and Japan. Her speech was followed byintroduction of Paul’s personality and memory as a father, aboss, and a colleague by his son (Janson Haugen), a former
posdoc (Dr. Matthew Traub), Prof. A. Bard, Prof. P. Rossky anda staff in the Center for Nano- and Molecular Science andTechnology where Paul has devoted his enthusiastic efforts forthe establishment. Although most of speech has reminded usthat we lost such a great person and many felt tears, some jokes
based on pleasant memories also realized us that he was always
positive, energetic, and cheerful to everybody around him. Oncehe started to talk about research and science, it often lasted
more than several hours. Always he was full of new ideas, andtried to challenge many kinds of novel experiments, although
only a fraction of them was successful. He always cares kindly
about others, especially about the youngest students. Even after
he obtained a high position, he has never been egoistic and hastaken care of others. Such comments explained why everybody
loves him.
All Japanese friends wish his soul may rest peacefully, andwill remember his great scientific achievements and leadershipforever. We cannot forget the words which Mr. Takuji Adachi,
the last student of Masuhara lab and the last graduate student ofPaul’s lab, said before the ceremony, “I learned from Paul not─ 42 ─