The University community, friends and colleagues around the world are mourning the loss of a well-known mosquito expert and University assistant professor.
Michael Perich, an assistant professor of entomology, died in a one-vehicle accident on Interstate 12 Saturday. An AgCenter press release said Perich’s truck left the highway, flipped and landed in rainwater near Walker, La.
Timothy Schowalter, head of the entomology department, said at the time of the accident, 46 year-old Perich was returning from a meeting with a police jury program about mosquito abatement in Covington, La.
Schowalter said Perich came to the University in 2001 after spending more than 16 years with the U.S. Army working to protect the troops from insect hazards.
Schowalter said Perich, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Oklahoma State University, was the University’s medical entomologist. He was working to control infectious agents carried by mosquitoes.
Michael Stout, an associate professor of entomology, said Perich was “one of the world’s experts on mosquito-borne diseases” and was most recently recognized for his work to combat the West Nile Virus.
Jorge Arias, who worked with Perich while he was with the Pan American Health Organization, said in an e-mail Perich always was trying to develop innovative control methods. Arias also called Perich “the hero of Latin America.”
Several of Perich’s colleagues and friends said he was passionate about his work and enjoyed his worldwide travels.
Mary Grodner, an entomology professor, said Perich brought a tremendous amount of international knowledge about vector-borne diseases to the University and was eager to share his knowledge with others.
“I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who brought such a passion with him for his work,” Grodner said.
Stout said Perich cared deeply about his students and often went the extra mile to be a good mentor.
Apart from his professional work, many people said they will remember Perich as a friend and outstanding person.
Gary Clark from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who worked with Perich on projects in the Dominican Republic and Honduras, said in an e-mail Monday that he remembered the great delight Perich took in visiting with the children they encountered during their work.
Clark also referred to Perich, who is survived by his wife, Audrey, and daughter, Sara, of Baton Rouge, as a “devoted family man.”
“His death is a tragic loss for his family and for his profession,” Clark said.
Stout said the world has lost one of the few experts on mosquito-borne diseases and Perich will be missed.
Visitation will be today at St. Aloysius Catholic Church from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial.
The family asks that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Food for the Poor instead of flowers.