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Obituary For Krishnanath Bhaskar Deshpande, PhD

Krishnanath Bhaskar Deshpande, PhD

Dr. Krishnanath B. Deshpande passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 at the age of 98. He was born in Bombay (Mumbai), India, on November 1st, 1921, the eighth of Bhaskar Ramchandra Deshpande’s and Mothi Ai Deshpande’s eight children. As the baby of the family, both his siblings and parents doted on him, and instilled a sense of filial duty, a fierce work ethic, and a profound respect for the power of education in him.

Dr. Deshpande graduated from the Royal Institute of Science of the University of Bombay with a B.Sc. in Chemistry (cum laude), an M.Sc. in Inorganic Chemistry, and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. Though his formal education focused on chemistry and physics, he also excelled in studies of language (mastering Sanskrit and German, in addition to Marathi, Hindi, and English), political science and philosophy (as an avid devotee of both Mahatma Gandhi and Bertrand Russell), and the Western literary canon. Upon completion of his doctoral studies in 1951, he immediately assumed a position as Lecturer in Chemistry at Siddharth College in Bombay, an institution founded at India’s Independence for the express purpose of educating the downtrodden and oppressed. This devotion to the advancement of underserved minorities through science education remained his vocation throughout his life.

While teaching in Bombay, he wed Mrs. Vidya K. Deshpande, and they began a family together, having both a son and daughter within a few short years. He was named a Fulbright Scholar in 1957 and embarked upon his life in the United States as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Missouri. There, he worked with Dr. C. E. Marshall to publish foundational studies on the thermodynamics and electrochemistry of clay systems, which were used to improve the extraction of uranium isotopes from ore by the US Atomic Energy Commission.

After completion of the Fulbright program in 1960, he joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, where his wife and children joined him. During this period, Krish (as he was known by his American friends), extended his professional work both within and outside of academia, continuing to publish in the scientific literature and gaining certification in the use of radioisotope procedures at Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies. He remained at UNC Chapel Hill until his recruitment as a full Professor of Chemistry by physicist and future Fisk University President, Dr. James Lawson, after attending the Infrared Institute at Fisk under a National Science Foundation award in 1965. He subsequently forged lifelong friendships with Dr. Lawson as well as with another physicist and future Fisk University President, Dr. Rutherford Adkins.

Dr. Deshpande was one of the first South Asian immigrants to settle in Nashville, Tennessee, and was the oldest established member of the Indian-American community here. He was also an active participant in the Civil Rights movement in the American South, having subscribed early in his life to the ideals of equality and human dignity enshrined in the Indian Independence movement, and then having experienced the brutality of Jim Crow laws firsthand. While at Fisk in the mid- to late-1960s, he used his position as an eminent scientist at a prominent Historically Black College/University (HBCU) to support students and demand redress for the political and social ills of racism through the principles of non-violent resistance promulgated by Gandhi and embraced by Dr. Martin Luther King. He saw as fundamental to the redress of those ills Fisk University's educational mission to empower minority communities in the United States, and so played an instrumental role in establishing Master’s programs in the Departments of Chemistry and Physics there.

He continued to serve as a tenured Professor of Chemistry, and in various roles in the faculty Senate and University Administration, at Fisk until his departure for another HBCU—Mississippi Valley State University—in 1983. As Executive Director of Planning and Institutional Advancement there, he spearheaded Title III federal funding efforts critical to several key science education programs, as well as establishing the campus radio station (WMVU) as a vehicle for students to give back to their local community.

After the tragic loss of his wife of 35 years while in Mississippi, he returned to Nashville in 1992, where he re-married and spent the remaining years of his working life as Senior Assistant to President Adkins and Director of Title III Funding for Fisk University until his retirement in 2002.

Throughout his long life, Dr. Deshpande remained an extraordinary champion of the promise of academic excellence, scientific inquiry, and evidence-based educational programs to lift up communities oppressed and disregarded by society. He also maintained what he regarded as dutiful civic involvement in improving both local educational policy and the lives of his neighbors, whether by running for the first local school board for Davidson County or by voting in every regular election after he became a US citizen. He truly lived in harmony with the spirit of his best-loved Sanskrit verse from the ancient Hindu text, the Maha Upanishad: वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम {Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam}, which translates as “For those of noble conduct, the entire world is one single family.”

He will be remembered for his exceptional scholarship and personal integrity by generations of scientists, medical professionals, and graduate students, both in India and in the United States. He will be remembered for his fundamental goodness of character, his prodigious intellect, and his singular wit by his wife of 22 years, Dr. Reena M. Camoens; his children, Dr. Jayant K. Deshpande (Dr. Patti Scott) and Nashville Fire Department Chief Kalpana (Kappu) K. Deshpande; his step-children, Dr. Sumi L. Rebeiro (Mr. Lance Sheridan), Mr. Sunil J. Rebeiro, and Dr. Peter F. Rebeiro (Mr. Ransom J. Wyse II); his grandchildren, Mr. Neel J. Deshpande (Mrs. Terra Jones Deshpande) and Dr. Shyam J. Deshpande; and his great-granddaughter, Ms. Araya Deshpande; as well as a constellation of family members scattered across the globe.

Please Note:

Funeral services provided by: Smith Funeral Directors 706 Monroe St Nashville, TN 37208 (615) 726-1476

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions for the Dr. K. B. (Kris) Deshpande Family Scholarship Fund may be submitted at: https://www.cfmt.org/giving-and-investing/become-a-donor/give-to-a-fund/dr-k-b-krish-deshpande-family-scholarship-fund/ or else posted c/o The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, P.O. Box 440225, Nashville, TN 37244.

A memorial service will be held in the near future when practical, with details to be announced.

Guest Book

My sincere condolences dear family. Many happy memories of Dr. Deshpande be with you, and may the God of all comfort help you endure the days to come. 23rd Psalms

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This message is for Kalpana a fellow student in St Vincent DePaul School I remember your day very well, he was such a gentle soul. Praying for your family. We use to call you Kappu. Deborah (Cleggett) Brown

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Our staff will continue to keep your family in our prayers. We thank you for allowing us to serve your family.

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