Dr. R.G. Krishnamurthy receiving an award for “Outstanding Leadership” as North Central Section President AOCS 1975-1976. Photo: courtesy of the Krishnamurthy family.
Ramanathapur Gundachar Krishnamurthy arrived in the United States in August 1961 from his native India to pursue an advanced degree in Food Science at Rutgers University. Fueled by discipline, a firm sense of duty and a scholarship, he turned this academic opportunity into a life-changing stepping stone for himself and his family. Krishnamurthy completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in three years (GSNB’65), finding his niche at Rutgers as a member of the early cohort of Food Science doctoral students taught by the late Dr. Stephen S. Chang.
RG Krishnamurthy as a new Food Science graduate student at Rutgers. Photo: courtesy of the Krishnamurthy family.
In the course of the next 30 years, Dr. R.G. Krishnamurthy became renowned for his outstanding contributions to the field of food technology, his expertise in flavors and lipids and his service to the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS). To give the possibility of a similarly life-changing opportunity to future generations, Dr. Krishnamurthy has willed a $1 million gift to Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in support of scholarships for Food Science students.
The son of an itinerant rural school teacher, Krishnamurthy was born in the village of Hampapura in Karnataka, India, in 1931. At the age of 20, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physics, chemistry and math. Three years later, he was awarded the Jaipuria Gold Medal of All India Oil Technologists’ Association – an award comparable to the AOCS Bond Award.
While working as a chemist at the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India, he heard that Dr. Stephen Chang at Rutgers was looking for researchers in flavors. Experiencing his lack of a graduate degree as a barrier to promotions, Krishnamurthy leaped at the opportunity to work with Dr. Chang. In 1961, with the help of friends, family and a small bank loan, he covered the cost of his plane ticket for his first time out of the country. He departed for Rutgers three days after his first child, a daughter, was born. This was a different era – a time when family in India did not have phones in their homes, mostly communicating by letters and brief telegrams.
As a Rutgers graduate student, Krishnamurthy rented a small room in a house, daily sticking to his vegetarian diet and limited budget by eating only a can or two of vegetable soup a day. From his scholarship and part-time work, he regularly sent money to India to support his wife, daughter and extended family. In 1966, with his doctoral degree completed, Krishnamurthy became an assistant research professor at Rutgers. Soon thereafter, he joined Best Foods as a research chemist, working for AOCS Alton E. Bailey Award recipient, Dr. C.M. Gooding. With secure employment in New Jersey, he brought his wife, Vimala, and four-year old daughter to the U.S. In 1967, they left New Jersey for Glenview, Illinois, so he could take up a position at Kraft Inc. Their son and second daughter were born and raised in Glenview.
During a distinguished 30-year career at Kraft, “Krish” (as he was called by colleagues) established himself as a top researcher, international award-winning food scientist, affable colleague and highly-supportive mentor. His name is attached to numerable patents. When Krish retired from Kraft at the relatively young age of 62, many colleagues came together to celebrate and honor his collegiality, his work ethic and his expertise.
The same year in which Krish arrived in the U.S., he became a student member of the AOCS and quickly embraced a spirit of service within this professional organization. During his decades-long service to AOCS, Krish held offices, participated in literature reviews, and for a time, was an at-large member of the AOCS Governing Board. He advocated for and worked with others to create high-quality technical programs for AOCS members. His events received praise from attendees. As a leader and organizer, he became known for his precision, thoroughness and effectiveness.
Dr. R.G. Krishnamurthy in 1974 receiving the AOCS Award of Merit. Photo: courtesy of the Krishnamurthy family.
As early as 1974, the AOCS honored Krish with the Award of Merit, given for truly outstanding service. In 1992, he followed in the footsteps of his first boss, Dr. Gooding at Best Foods, when he received the AOCS Alton E. Bailey Award for outstanding research and exceptional service in the field of lipids and associated products. In 1999, the AOCS inducted Krish as an AOCS Fellow, the highest AOCS honor for scientists.
Krish’s professional achievements included teaching a course on food science instrumentation at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He was also a contributor to Bailey’s Industrial Oil and Fat Products, the industry standard reference on the chemistry and processing technology of edible oils and fats as well as industrial and nonedible derivative products.
At Kraft and AOCS, alongside the very visible enthusiasm for learning, teaching, serving and a having a strong work ethic, Krish’s success had roots in quiet tenacity and fortitude. Krish and Vimala both navigated the obstacles of being Indian immigrants to the U.S. in the 1960s, which included cultural and racial discrimination in everyday life – something about which Krish rarely and only sparingly spoke. They endeavored to instill an awareness in their family of both the importance of educational achievements and cultivating internal strength, the latter of which can potentially come from their Indian spiritual roots. Krish and Vimala have generously advised and financially supported relatives in their large, extended family to attain their undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in fields that include engineering, medicine and computer sciences. While most choose to stay in India, some members of the younger generations in their extended family are following in their footsteps and have come to pursue graduate studies, work and raise families in the U.S.
After he retired, Krish easily shifted full-time to applying the high-level discipline of his academic and professional life over to the arts and sciences of spiritual knowledge and gardening. He turned his attention to deepening his spiritual self-studies and practices, while playing a substantial role in establishing one of the first Hindu temples in the Chicagoland area. Until a year before his passing, at the age of 91 in 2023, he daily and joyfully got his hands dirty while working in his garden full-time. A self-taught gardener with an evident green thumb, his garden was beloved by friends, neighbors and the local rabbits.
January 17, 2024, marked one year since Dr. R.G. Krishnamurthy passed away. He continues to be remembered by colleagues, friends and family for his drive to excel, his devotion to serving others and his commitment to staying connected to his Indian culture and extended family. His family hopes Krish’s life and this generous gift to his alma mater will inspire and support future Food Science graduates to root their professional and personal lives in high standards, service and a commitment to on-going education, learning and growth.
