Paul Karl Haake

1932 - 2011

Paul Karl Haake
June 28, 1932 - December 3, 2011
Noted research chemist and educator, Paul Haake passed away in Middletown on Dec. 3. He was 79 years-old.
Paul was born on June 28, 1932 to parents Arnold and Clara Haake. He grew up in Winona, Minn., in a beautiful town on the Mississippi River. He graduated from Winona High School and went on to college, medical school and eventually graduate school in chemistry at Harvard. His doctoral research on hydrolysis and isotopic exchange involving esters of phosphoric acid was in the laboratory of Frank Westheimer.
After postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology, he started his faculty career at UCLA. In 1968 he came to Wesleyan University where he was a beloved teacher, colleague and researcher for almost 40 years. With Max Tishler, he enthusiatically developed the doctorate program in chemistry at Wesleyan. His research on the kinetics and mechanism of chemical reactions, particularly reactions of biochemically-interesting phosphorus compounds, resulted in 100 scholarly articles and books, including "Hydrolysis and Exchange in Esters of Phosphoric Acid", which has been cited 250 times since it was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. This was and is a seminal paper in phosphorus chemistry.
In 1986, Paul was a founding member and major force behind the formation of Wesleyan's Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, which at the time was considered both controversial and forward looking. Colleagues recall that Paul contributed to the future success of MB&B by stressing the principle of academic freedom. Paul devoted much of his career to teaching and was very proud of the extremely popular series of courses he taught at Wesleyan for non-science majors including, "Molecular Basis of Social Problems," "Biochemical Basis of Nutrition," "Structure, Symbols, and Patterns," "Origins of Modern Science" and "Biochemistry Using A Case Study Approach." He was always grateful for the strong foundation in education that he received in Winona. In an effort to repay that debt he established a scholarship for scholar athletes at Winona State University.
Paul also participated in a number of community issues. In 1975, he was appointed by then Governor Ella T. Grasso to Connecticut's Nuclear Power Evaluation Council. The Council raised questions about the ability of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure the safety of nuclear power. Paul loved to travel to Europe, and in the process formed strong and abiding friendships in England, Liechtenstein and Normandy. He was probably happiest when having dinner with friends over a bottle of red wine, enjoying live jazz music.
A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the Wasch Center for Retired Faculty, Wesleyan University, 51 Lawn Ave., Middletown, CT 06457. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Winona State University Foundation in memory of Paul Haake.
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