HARRY LEWIS WILDASIN Ph.D.

1923 - 2019

WILDASIN, Harry Lewis Ph.D. Iwo Jima Veteran Loving husband, father, grandfather, U.S. Marine Corps Captain, Iwo Jima Veteran, university professor, agricultural biochemist, microbiologist, dairy scientist, lobbyist, senior executive at H.P. Hood, Inc., owner of Wildasin Associates, and a longtime resident of Lexington, died on March 31, 2019, in Bedford, MA, at the age of 95. He leaves his loving wife of 48 years, Mary Louise "Mary Lou" (Deitrich) Wildasin of Carlton-Willard Village, Bedford, MA; his son, David and wife Kathleen of Lexington, KY; grandson, Benjamin and wife Carolyn of New York City, NY; nephew, Robert and wife Barbara of Lancaster, PA; nephew, Michael and wife Susan of East Petersburg, PA; nephew, James and wife Joan of Burlington, N.C; and many grand and great-grandnieces and nephews. Dr. Wildasin was predeceased by his first wife, Ida (Pat) Martha Fick (1963); a son, Daniel Paul Wildasin (1956); a daughter, Sarah Louise Wildasin (1992); and his brother, Cleo M. Wildasin (2016) of Spring Grove, PA. Dr. Wildasin was born at home on October 10, 1923, the son of J. Earl and Florence E. Wildasin, and grew up in York County, PA, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, on a third generation 120-acre dairy farm without electricity, telephones, or running water. He attended Pennsylvania State College (1943-BS degree; 1949-PhD), where during his sophomore year he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as part of V-12 Navy College program, finishing his undergraduate years in uniform as a Private 1st Class. Upon graduation at age 20 he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, but only after being granted special Congressional approval due to his young age. After graduation from OCS Officers School, he commanded the 3rd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Division – a platoon of 58 men in one of the first assault waves on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. After three hours of fierce, devastating fighting with the Japanese, the company had lost 80% of its men. Wildasin found himself the Acting "A" Company Commander as all other commissioned officers in the company were either dead or wounded. During the first battle, a grenade landed at Wildasin's feet; he was briefly knocked out, but fortunately the thick, black layer of the beach's volcanic ash saved him from a more serious injury. On the 8th day of battle, a battle which should eventually liberate the island after taking horrific casualties, he sustained his more serious injury. He and a few other men were situated in a command post in one of the many craters created by the battle's shelling. When a mortar landed in the crater he was once again knocked unconscious. When he came to, he found his 2nd sergeant had been killed less than a foot away, and his back full of shrapnel (some of which he bore for the rest of his life). Shot up with morphine, now a walking casualty, he was able to continue fighting until being evacuated to a ship for medical care. Wildasin was then shipped to the Chelsea Marine Hospital, Chelsea, MA where it was determined that removal of the shrapnel was too risky and he was granted, but refused a medical discharge. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his heroism at Iwo Jima. Back at full duty at Camp Lejeune, NC, he began preparing for the invasion of Japan when the news came that the atomic bombs had been dropped and Japan had surrendered. Wildasin continued serving at Camp Lejeune until 1946 as a Company Commander of A Company 1st battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, where he served on various boards and special administrative assignments. When being considered for posting to China, and with his wife expecting their first child, he requested and was relieved from active duty. Wildasin returned to Penn State with the support of the GI Bill of Right and earned his Ph.D in Dairy Science in three years. Of note, during this time he made the discovery of how to successfully freeze and store milk without protein flocculation. From 1949 to 1952, he was an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT), where he established the first Ph.D graduate program in the College of Agriculture. He then went to work for the Whiting Milk Company in Charleston, MA, as Director of Quality Control and Production. Five years later, he went to the H.P. Hood Company, New England's largest dairy as the Director of Laboratories. During his time there he made many notable contributions to the industry such as milk flavor improvement, lowering acceptable bacterial counts, developing new methods for cleaning in place transport vehicles and developing new products. In 1961, when public concern over increasing levels of radioactivity found in milk was effecting milk consumption, Dr. Wildasin worked with the Harvard School of Public Health to have equipment installed in the Boston milk plant laboratory so radioactivity could be measured in milk at the same level as the U.S. Public Health Service and the Federal Food and Drug Administration. After retiring from Hood at age 60, Wildasin was retained as a consultant to their dairy, citrus, and cheese divisions, and then formed his own national and international consulting service, Wildasin Associates. When asked at the age of 93 what his secret to a long life was, Dr. Wildasin, with that sparkle still in his eyes and that easy grin of his, said his enjoyment of people and remembering that one only lives once was his secret to surviving and enjoying a long and accomplished life. Having survived the carnage of Iwo Jima, as so many of his comrades' fell around him, Wildasin certainly made the most of his extra 74 years. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 13, at 2 PM at the Hancock United Church of Christ at 1912 Mass. Ave., Lexington, MA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either the Carleton-Willard Reserve Fund or the Living Fully, Dying Well program, Carleton-Willard Village, 100 Old Billerica Rd., Bedford, MA 01730.