I worked for Dr. Yonetani in the early 1970s as a research specialist -- my first job in academia. He was a good mentor for me, something that I did not appreciate at the time. I treasure the time I spent in his lab.

He also gave me the opportunity to learn how to program, a skill that basically set my life course for the next 40 years.



From Montpellier (France) we have just learned of the death of Takashi. He often came to Unit 128 of INSERM as a visiting Professor.  He was a faithful friend, for more than 40 years with whom we have shared science, but also conviviality. Takashi was, as we say in France, "un Honnete Homme".
We are sorry for Ann, and we would like, if possible, to have contact with her who had come to France many years ago.
balnyscheffler@free.fr

I worked for Takashi many years ago. I remember his great devotion to  his post docs and the lab. He was also very kind and generous. 

I also just learned today of Takashi's passing.  Takashi was a giant in the field of peroxidase enzyme chemistry.  He was a very kind man who also, in my experience, spoke softly - but you better listen to what he was saying, because it was always insightful and full of information.  I am also deeply saddened to learn of his death - he was one of my scientific heroes!

I just learned of Takashi’s passing and am deeply saddened at the loss of a stellar scientist and mentor. The first heme enzyme structure to be solved was Takashi’s enzyme, cytochome c peroxidase. It was that success and his support and encouragement that directed my career to heme enzymes. One of the main highlights of my early career is when Takashi visited UC San Diego and made available the CCP sequence prior to publication and that same day we worked out the active site structure after months of head scratching.  Plus there were NO sequence errors but you would expect that from Takashi’s lab.  A bit later at a meeting where the CCP structure was first presented, Takashi, with grace and tact, came to my rescue as I was peppered with questions from the experts. From those days on I always viewed Takashi as one of my most influential and important mentors.

Takashi was my PhD advisor at the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1970's.  I am very sad to hear of his passing.  He was a stellar scientist, wonderful mentor, and simply a very personable person to be around.  He made many key scientific contributions and mentored many students and post-doctoral fellows of his long and highly productive career.  He will certainly be missed by many that knew him.  I extend my sincere condolences to his family. 

Takashi was a collogue of mine.  He was an outstanding scientist doing work that was always the highest quality.  If he said it was so, it was so!  He worked on colored proteins — those that are red like hemoglobin or greenish like peroxidases.  A fact that few people knew is that he was red/green color-blind.  Yet, he could look at solutions of these red or green proteins and tell that the protein was in good shape.
I appreciated his gentle humor and kindnesses.

OBITUARY

Takashi Yonetani

August 6, 1930 – April 13, 2020

Walter B. Cooke Funeral Home

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