Ron Mardigian: 1958-2007
I learned late last evening that Ron Mardigian, founder and manager of Bio-Rad’s Biotechnology Explorer Program, died suddenly and unexpectedly in his sleep last December. Not surprisingly, I learned of his passing in a publication from Bio-Link, an NSF-funded organization committed to biotechnology training at the high school and community college levels.
Ron and I first met (via the telephone) in1996 when he was putting the finishing touches on the first of a series of education kits that would ultimately become Bio-Rad’s Biotechnology Explorer Program. At the time, I was working at Rutgers to create variants of the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) that could be used for educational purposes. Like me, Ron immediately realized that GFP could be used as a powerful education tool to showcase the principles of molecular biology and biotechnology. After talking on the phone for hours at a time, Ron and I finally met in 1997 at an International GFP meeting in New Jersey at which he was conducting a series of teacher training workshops. Imagine my surprise when I saw, for the first time, this striking, long-haired, cool-looking dude of indeterminate age who purportedly worked for the Bio-Rad Corporation! I knew that this was the beginning of a long and enduring friendship.
Ron was one of those special people who have an amazing energy about them. His unrelenting drive, passion and commitment to education (and life for that matter) were always palpable. When Ron was “in the house”, nothing was impossible and no problem was insurmountable. At work, Ron was a consummate professional who was available 24/7. I can’t remember an instance when Ron failed to quickly return a phone call or e-mail query. But, when Ron was on vacation, everybody who knew him understood that it was “his time” and that they shouldn’t bother him. He was an avid windsurfer, cyclist and intrepid explorer who could not resist an adventure. Ron’s annual three week sojourns to Hawaii, Northern California and places unknown are now legendary.
Ron once told me how he convinced the President of Bio-Rad to allow him to start the Biotechnology Explorer Program. As the story goes, Ron, who had worked at Bio-Rad for several years in a technical capacity, was at a crossroad in his career. As he put it, “he needed to clear his head” and the best way for Ron to do that was a road trip. After a three week jaunt to the Baja and Mexico, Ron came up with an idea to leverage his knowledge of molecular biology into a series of self-contained kits to teach biotechnology to high school teachers and students. The fact that he was able to convince a multinational, laboratory reagent and equipment manufacturer to take a risk on education is a testimonial to Ron’s charisma, passion and skills as an inveterate salesperson. Nobody I know was ever able to say no to Ron–including me!
Unfortunately, the last time I spoke with Ron was about a year ago. He told me that things were going well and that life was full and rich. I regret the fact that I didn’t have an opportunity to speak to him before he passed away.
Bio-Rad’s Biotechnology Explorer Program has been wildly successful during its first 10 years of existence. I’m sure that nobody but Ron expected this. Like any parent, I suspect that he experienced nothing but pleasure and joy watching his baby mature into adolescence. Unfortunately, he will not be here to shepherd his child into adulthood. I hope Bio-Rad will keep Ron’s memory alive by continuing to support and promote the Biotechnology Explorer program.
Farewell “bro”–thank you for allowing me to accompany you on a part of your journey!
