Frank A. Kapral, Ph.D.

Frank Albert Kapral, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics, died on Nov. 23, 2022, at the age of 94. He was born on March 12, 1928, in Philadelphia, PA, to John and Erna Alma Louse (Melching) Kapral.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Eliza Esther Crabtree Kapral, and sons Frederick and Robert Kapral and grand daughter, Brandi Crabtree. Frank is survived by sister Jane Karatzas; children Bruce Crabtree (Lana), Steven Crabtree (Cheryl), Charles “Mike” Crabtree (Cheryl), Sara “Kathy” Hayes (David), and Gloria Robertson; grandchildren Tina Neer (John), Jeffrey Crabtree, David Crabtree, Heather “Dani” Crabtree, Tara Evans (Mike), Michael Crabtree, Kelly Crites (Kurt), Jennifer “Beth” Hayes, Damian SanFellipo, and Nicole Kapral; many great-grandchildren, including Jadyn Dillon (Alex), Logan Rodgers, Josh Neer, Ryan Neer, and Natalie Kapral, who he all loved dearly; and extended family Loraine Lindsay and Amy Dodson.

He went to Abington High School in Abington, PA, and graduated in June 1946, whereupon he immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army and served eighteen months in the Army Medial Corp. He attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, now the University of Science in Philadelphia, and graduated in 1952 with a BS degree in Bacteriology (with honors). He then obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1956.

He was appointed instructor and associate in Medical Microbiology at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, where he taught medical students in the College of Medicine, physicians in the Graduate School of Medicine, and where he started his research career. He also served as assistant chief of the Microbiologic Research Program at the V.A. Hospital in Philadelphia. He was named chief of Microbiology Research at the Philadelphia General Hospital in 1964 and chief of Microbiology in 1965.

In 1966, he was recruited to help organize the newly formed Department of Medical Microbiology at the Ohio State University College of Medicine at the rank of associate professor, and in 1969, he was promoted to the rank of professor. He served as acting chairman of the department for five years from 1973 to 1978.

Over the years, he served on numerous department, college, and university committees. He was recognized as a devoted and effective teacher in both the medical and graduate school curricula. He organized and taught courses in microbiology, infectious diseases, bacterial pathogenesis, immunology, and parasitology. He retired in 1995 but continued to teach medical students for an additional nine years without compensation. During his career at the University of Pennsylvania and at The Ohio State University, Dr. Kapral taught more than 8,000 medial students, and served as mentor for 21 Ph.D. students and 8 masters students.

Dr. Kapral has had a long and distinguished research career in the field of staphylococcal host-parasite interactions and is internationally known for his work on staphylococcal diseases, staphylococcal pathogenesis, staphylococcal toxins, and for his elucidation of a novel host defense mechanism that controls the growth and survival of the organism in the tissues. He has authored numerous research articles and reviews, published in the top journals in his field. He has been invited to present his research findings throughout the United States and Canada as well as abroad in England, Germany, France, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, and Nicaragua. He has received continuous national and external funding for his research dating from 1957 until his retirement. He was awarded a U.S. patent in 1965 for an implant chamber used to study infectious processes in the living host. He has served as a consultant to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and to the Proctor and Gamble Company.

He was a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of America; and a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the American Society for Immunology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Biology and Medicine, the NY Academy of Sciences and Sigma Xi. His achievements have earned him listings in the Who’s Who in America, International Who’s Who of Contemporary Achievement, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, American Men of Science and 5000 Personalities of the World.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service, 6699 North High Street, Worthington. Visitation will be Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. prior to a funeral service at 12 p.m. with entombment directly following at Resurrection Cemetery, 9571 High St, Lewis Center, OH 43035.