A Tribute to Uche: A Great Man with a Beautiful Mind
by Chris McDevitt '04
“Many try to be righteous in our day and age, many try to show a sense of hollow leadership and character, but very few people are born with it. Uche was one of the very few.” – Rattan Gujadhur
Uche Anyanwu was truly an incredible human being. Not only did he excel in the sciences, but he was also a talented artist, a deep-thinking philosopher, a historian with fantastic recall, a multi-sport athlete, and most importantly an amazing friend to many. He was also a decent Scrabble player.
Uche and I met on campus while on very different trajectories. He was in the lab researching most of the time while I focused my efforts on finance. Uche would become the first member of the DV group and ultimately received his PhD in 2005 for his work on “Soluble Polymer supported Catalysts and Initiators.” Try saying that five times fast.
Uche and I became instant friends and somewhat inseparable. After UMass, as roommates, we began our careers in the NY metro area. He took a position as an Advanced Chemist at GE Silicones (now Momentive Performance Materials) and became a rising star immediately. In addition to creating significant value for GE during his years there (personally responsible for many patents), Uche also took time to give back to the community as a mentor to those less privileged.
In 2012, Uche lost his bravely fought battle with thymoma. While Uche was taken from the world too soon, many were blessed to have known him sharing moments that will be cherished forever. Please join me in contributing to Uche’s memorial fund where we can honor his memory and support future scientists as they embark on their own unique life journeys.
The Dr. Uche Anyanwu Memorial Fund supports the department’s undergraduate poster session, giving students the opportunity and resources to share their research findings. The fund also provides awards for the top three posters presented at the event. Contributions to the Dr. Uche Anyanwu Memorial Fund can be made directly at: https://bit.ly/umassuchefund.