David was born to Horace Wharton and Helen (Morton) Wharton in Pittston, Pennsylvania on November 3rd, 1930. He was raised in Avoca, Pennsylvania and graduated from Central High School in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1948. He was a passionate member of the Boy Scouts and the Eagle Scouts where he developed a lifelong passion for nature and birds. He went on to Penn State to earn a B.S in Botany (1952), an M.S. and a PhD in Plant Pathology (1956). He served as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army Chemical Corps at Fort Detrick from 1957 to 1959 conducting research on vaccines. After completing his post-doc at University of Wisconsin, he married Mary L. Haase in 1961 in Wilmington, Delaware.
He enjoyed a rewarding and successful career as a biochemist and university professor at the University of Virginia, Cornell University, University of Texas, San Antonio and Northeastern University. Much of his research consisted of clarifying the mechanism of action of cardiac cytochrome oxidase in which he was awarded grants from NIH and other organizations. In 1970, he co-authored a textbook, Experiments and Methods in Biochemistry, used by colleges nationwide. At Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, he served as Chairman of the Department of Biology from 1981 until 1997 and served as interim Dean of Arts and Sciences from 1989-1991. A former colleague wrote that, “[David’s] own richly interdisciplinary research was almost unique when [he] joined Northeastern and much of the current biochemistry-related activity could well be traced back to [him] in a tree of research evolution. [He] also provided principled leadership/mentorship in effectively balancing research, teaching, service and family. It’s no accident that many of the younger faculty [he] mentored while [he was] Biology Chair and CAS Dean felt empowered to also prioritize these multiple areas. [He] left Northeastern a far better institution and left [his] colleagues better for [his] leadership, wisdom and friendship.”
Dave’s knowledge and love of birds and took him on various adventures across North America, Central America and Europe, often with with his best friends, Frank and Paul. He loved to meet new people and explore new places. He had an infectious sense of humor and is remembered for his kind, generous and gentle nature. He loved his family deeply and sacrificed material items to buy his three kids cars and college educations to launch them into the world. He extended that generosity and love to his beloved grandchildren. His devotion of time, sense of humor and steadfast love is treasured by his family, as well as the many camp songs and geography games he taught them on long car trips!
Dave was preceded in death by his beloved daughter, Wendy (Wharton) Cloutier, who passed on February 15th, 2024 of cancer, his brother, Ronald Wharton, and his parents, Horace and Helen (Morton) Wharton. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary (Haase) Wharton of Tampa, his daughter, Susan Wharton-Schmitz (and husband, Cameron) of Wesley Chapel, Florida, his son, David H. Wharton of Laveen, Arizona and his son-in-law Robert Cloutier of Chandler, Arizona. He is also survived by his grandchildren Kaileigh Schmitz and Ethan Schmitz of Wesley Chapel, Florida and his nephew, Lee Wharton of Fort Myers, Florida.
Memorial service is to be determined. Contributions in David’s memory could be made to the National Audubon Society or The Nature Conservancy.
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