On the first day of his classes, Erach R. Talaty would write “Dr. T” on the blackboard, then explain to his students, “T is for terrible or terrific, whichever – that’s entirely up to you.”
Born in Persia, Talaty earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from Nagpur University in India before moving to the United States and receiving a PhD in chemistry from Ohio State in 1957. He completed post-doctoral work with Nobel Prize-winning chemist Robert Woodward at Harvard, spent several years doing research in industry and finished another post-doctoral fellowship at Iowa State.
Before arriving at Wichita State in 1969, he held faculty positions at Louisiana State and the University of South Dakota. At WSU, he was instrumental in the process of expanding the chemistry department from one focused primarily on teaching into a strong research-active learning environment.
A noted researcher whose efforts focused on anti-cancer drugs and electron spin resonance, among many other interests, Talaty authored nearly 100 articles for scientific publications.
He was also an award-winning teacher, recognized with WSU’s Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching Award and, in 1999, with Kansas Professor of the Year honors. Both awards recognize extraordinary dedication to teaching, a strong commitment to students and innovative teaching methods.
Erach Talaty died June 13, 2013, in Wichita.
