We're sad to announce the passing of longtime CASSS member, past President, Board Member, and volunteer John Frenz, PhD who passed away on August 15 at age 68.
He was predeceased by his parents, Amos and Tomiko Frenz of Syracuse; his wife, Jana Jacobson; and his sister, Dr. Patricia Frenz. He is survived by his children, Amary of New York and Hunter of Boston; his brother, Michael Frenz and wife Trudy of Derwood, MD; partner, Janice Adams; and several nieces and nephews.
Career
John received his Bachelor of Science from Yale, Master of Science from MIT, and PhD from Yale in electrical engineering. He had a long and distinguished career in biotech, working for Genentech, a Member of the Roche Group, in San Francisco, CA, GlobeImmune Inc. in Louisville, CO, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Boston, MA. He also taught in the biotechnology program at Northeastern University.
John was very active as a Board Member of HPLC, Inc. and served on the scientific committee for their International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques. He held several patents and was the 2004 recipient of the Csaba Horváth Memorial Award, which honors significant achievement in the field of separation science.
Impact at CASSS
John participated in CASSS for many years, serving in various roles including on the Board of Directors, as Past CASSS President, and as an Associate Director. He was on the WCBP, FFF (International Symposium on Field- and Flow-Based Separations), and Bioassays Organizing Committees and Industry Co-chair of WCBP in 2001. During his tenure on the board, John was passionate about ensuring the financial viability and legacy of CASSS to fulfill its mission. He took a great interest in the organization's volunteer base and leadership structure, particularly advocating for the initiative to grant Associate Directors voting rights of the Board to promote diversity and consistency within the organization.
Upon his re-election to the board in 2010, he stated, "I am proud to have been part of the Board as CASSS has transitioned to an organization with the long-term potential to make an even greater impact." This statement referred to CASSS's shift from focusing on academic separation science conferences and networking to becoming a community centered on biopharmaceutical development and regulation.
In 2017, John was appointed to a lifetime membership as a Distinguished Fellow Member. This designation is appointed by the CASSS Board of Directors based upon his leadership and significant contributions to the CASSS mission.
Image: WCBP Scientific Organizing Committee of 2016 featuring (from left to right, top to bottom) John Hennessey, William Hancock, John Dougherty, Bob Sitrin, Peter Johnson, John Frenz, Ken Seamon, Barry Cherney, Mark Schenerman, Anthony Lubiniecki, Robin Levis, Roman Drews, Patrick Swann, Andrew Chang, Marjorie Shapiro, Michael Kunitani, Susan Kirschner, Wassim Nashabeh, Nadine Ritter, Brian Nunnally, Arifa Khan.
Image: John Frenz (left) and Bill Hancock (right) talking at WCBP 2016.
Image: John Frenz speaking at WCBP 2016 during the opening remarks.
Legacy
Whether you have known John for over a decade, or this is your first time hearing his name, we would like to take a moment to thank you all for being part of our community. CASSS' mission is to bring together professionals to advance the field of biopharmaceuticals. One of our core values, and the key to our mission, is collaboration by you, our members. The continued growth of our organization and our ability to support you in the field depends on your support, participation, and leadership.
A memorial service will be held for John on October 11 at the United Universalist Congregation of the Eastern Slope in Tamworth, NH. Please leave memories and condolences on syracuse.com/obits. To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.