John Petruska taught at USC for more than 50 years. (Photo/Peter Zhaoyu Zhou)
In memoriam: John Petruska, DNA expert and longtime USC biology professor
The popular professor of molecular and computational biology taught Trojans for more than 50 years
John Petruska, a DNA expert and USC biology professor for more than a half century, has died.
Petruska taught multiple generations of USC students, from the late 1960s into the current semester. His peers describe him as a passionate educator, scientist and friend.
Petruska earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec, and his master’s in physical chemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario. He earned his PhD in chemical physics at the University of Chicago, after which he did postdoctoral work in chemistry and molecular biology at CalTech, working with Nobel laureate Linus Pauling.
“John was always willing to impart his knowledge and speak on topics that were of great interest to him,” according to a tribute that appears on USC’s Biological Sciences Graduate Programs Blog. “At his best, students noted his passion and enthusiasm.”
He also adviser for USC’s Alpha Alpha chapter of Phi Sigma, an honor society for biology students, and was teaching parts of three biological sciences courses during the current semester. He was author or co-author of dozens of academic articles.
Petruska was preceded in death by his wife, Martha Ann “Marti” Petruska, a docent at The Huntington in San Marino.
Services were held Thursday.
