The campus community is remembering the life of a professor emeritus described by his colleagues as “scholarly and compassionate” after his death Thursday.
Kevin Carman, interim dean of the College of Basic Sciences, said retired biological sciences professor Vadake Srinivasan’s death was a shock because he appeared to be in good health. Carman said Srinivasan was “scholarly and compassionate” as well as a vibrant person who often smiled.
“He seemed happy right up to the end, and his death is a loss for all of us,” Carman said. “It sounds like he went out on his own terms.”
Srinivasan, 78, was pronounced dead at a hospital Thursday after becoming unconscious and crashing his vehicle into a guardrail at the intersection of South Stadium Road and Tower Drive.
He began his career at the University in 1965 as an assistant microbiology professor. Srinivasan had been retired for about 15 years from instructing but still was active on campus with seminars and research, according to University Relations reports.
Carman said Srinivasan was “highly thought of” by faculty and students — including 22 students who worked closely under Srinivasan’s supervision during his nearly four decades of instruction while they pursued master’s and doctoral degrees.
“Mentoring 22 students during a career is quite an impressive accomplishment,” Carman said. “He contributed greatly to LSU in research and teaching.”
LSUPD did not release Srinivasan’s identity Thursday because his family had not been notified of his condition. He was pronounced dead at Baton Rouge General Hospital after arriving in an ambulance.
Students who witnessed Srinivasan’s wreck attempted to revive him with CPR.
The East Baton Rouge Coroner’s office did not return calls about Srinivasan’s cause of death by press time Monday. University Relations reports suggested the cause of death might have been a stroke.