Colmano, Germille

Dr. Germille Colmano, renowned Professor Emeritus Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University passed away on November 16, 2006.

He was a Doctor of Biophysics and Bio Chemistry and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, with a Masters in Physiology, Fellow of the Royal Society, Member of the Virginia Academy of Science and fluent in seven languages.

He was a respected member of the scientific community contributing hundreds of publications. His early research projects included the first-ever patented means by which to synthesize crystalline chlorophyll. He taught graduates in physiology, biochemistry and histology for over three decades.

He was born August 21, 1921 in Pola, Italy, which became part of Yugoslavia after World War II. During that war he was a Sergeant in the Italian Army. Immigrating to the U.S. in 1951 with his wife Miranda and first son Marino. His interests were very eclectic from square dancing, tennis, swimming, mandolin and violin playing, to challenging options in our ever-changing environment using Physiology, Biochemistry Biophysics, Colloidal Chemistry and Spectral Analysis of Bio-systems.

He had been living in Blacksburg since September 1962, when he joined the Veterinary Science Department of the College of Agriculture as a Professor. In 1978 he became part of the newly forming College of Veterinary Medicine, where he did research on stress and cancer and teaching until retirement in 1992.

He is survived by his sister, Silva Colman living in Trieste, Italy; his eldest son, Marino Colmano living in Los Angeles, California; and his daughter, Helen Crocker living in Hampton, Virginia; and her two children, Angela and Cory Sutton. We all loved, admired and respected him. He will be missed. Memorial will be held at the War Memorial Chapel on the Virginia Tech Campus, Sunday, November 19, 2006 from 1 to 2 p.m.