Aug. 3, 1941–Feb. 24, 2026
Ralph S. Quatrano ’62 sprouted many roots in his life as a student, professor, entrepreneur, and administrator, culminating his career as dean emeritus of Washington University’s McKelvey School of Engineering & Applied Sciences and Spencer T. Olin Professor emeritus. He was known as a deeply intellectual professor, a thoughtful adviser, and above all, a caring individual committed to his family, friends, and colleagues.
Quatrano graduated from Colgate with a degree in botany with honors and was a member of Phi Delta Theta, the varsity football and lacrosse teams, and student government. He went on to earn a master’s degree in botany from Ohio University in 1964 and a PhD in biology from Yale University in 1968.
As an academic, Quatrano was instrumental in expanding the field of plant science beyond traditional methods. He was among the first to use molecular biology concepts in studying the gene expression of plants. His contributions to a 2008 Science article titled “The Physcomitrella Genome Reveals Evolutionary Insights into the Conquest of Land by Plants” helped change the understanding of how land plants evolved and opened doors to more advanced understandings of gene function. He held faculty positions at Oregon State University, the University of North Carolina, and Washington University in St. Louis; was a research manager at DuPont; and was also a consultant for many agricultural companies and start-ups, plant science publications, and science societies.
As a dean at Washington University, Quatrano played a significant role in enhancing the school’s academics by creating 13 new undergraduate and graduate programs and emphasizing the importance of collaboration and communication across disciplines. He also diversified faculty recruitment, which resulted in an increase in female, Hispanic, and African American faculty members; he expanded academic opportunities such as dual degree and graduate programs; and he assisted in raising $60 million for the university’s Leading Together campaign.
Among the many awards for teaching, scholarship, and service Quatrano received, he was honored with the Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean’s Award in 2016. In a video the university created to commemorate Quatrano’s distinction and acknowledge his many contributions to the school, then-Chancellor Mark Wright declared that “[The University’s] community owes Ralph Quatrano a great deal.” Aaron Bobick, Quatrano’s successor as the dean of Washington University engineering school, added, “when Ralph took over, he helped the school become the world-class engineering school a world-class university should have.”
In Colgate’s community, Quatrano’s influence still remains. Ken Belanger, the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of biology, says Quatrano impacted his academic journey as a postdoctoral student and, later, as an educator. They first met when Belanger attended a seminar where Quatrano was presenting his lab work during Belanger’s final years of a PhD program at Duke University. Shortly after, Belanger interviewed with Quatrano for a lab position at the University of North Carolina.
“We talked about the value of both teaching and research, and the way these two important components of being at a university support and complement each other,” says Belanger, who ended up completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Quatrano’s lab.
The mentorship Belanger received from Quatrano ultimately planted the seed for his teaching career to blossom. “I wouldn’t be at Colgate without the opportunities and mentorship Ralph provided. Ralph gave me my first independent teaching experiences at the university level by giving me my own courses to teach at UNC,” Belanger explains. “He taught me the value of collaboration in science and also the importance of thinking across disciplines, whether teaching or doing research or being an academic administrator.”
Belanger reflects on Quatrano’s impact as an innovator, stating that “Ralph was the sort of person who had his own ideas and worked hard to implement those, but also truly valued the input and ideas of others.”
Quatrano is survived by his wife, Lee Anne, his children, stepchildren, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and cousins.