Author: Vivien Reece
The Occidental College community is mourning the death of chemistry professor Tetsuo Otsuki, who passed away on Wednesday, March 14 at the age of 69 following a battle with cancer. His humor and dedication to his students touched many.
Otsuki, or “Dr. O,” as most students called him, was an out-of-the-box professor that went above and beyond teaching, with an open-door advising policy and participation in the general playfulness that characterizes the chemistry department.
A victim of such tricks as Occidental’s traditional birthday dunk in the fountain, Otsuki enjoyed the humor and energy his students brought to classes. When possible, he documented such moments in photos featuring him with his students.
Some photos, for example, have him giving bunny ears to unsuspecting targets, beaming at the camera while sitting on a flashy motorcycle or swinging from tree branches.
Otsuki was a fun-loving person but also serious and hardworking. He often spent extra hours with students, meeting as early as five in the morning in some cases, or on the weekends in others.
“He was always there when they needed him,” Carolyn Adams, Executive Secretary to the Dean of the College and close friend, said. He was known to ignore phone calls from his colleagues when meeting with students.
“He was the quintessential liberal arts professor,” fellow organic chemistry professor and longtime friend Donald Deardorff said.
Otsuki was a man of many loveable quirks, such as wearing an Occidental football helmet while bike riding or collecting Audrey Hepburn memorabilia. Otsuki also famously baked cookies for his classes on test dates. He often remembered the birthdays of his students and brought ice cream cake to class to express his affection.
“He did that so he could have some too,” professor Phoebe Dea said.
Otsuki cared deeply for his students. In the Occidental Yearbook of 1998, he is quoted as saying, “I’m like a father of my students. They are my children.”
He stayed in touch with many of his students long after their graduation, attending the weddings of some or inviting them to dinner when they came back to town to visit. Before students’ graduation he served as mentor, advisor and friend, helping students on research projects and celebrating the companionship of the classes by hosting barbecues at his house.
Despite Otsuki’s playfulness, his classes were tough.
“He had very high standards for his students,” professor Deardorff said. “I wouldn’t have even considered grad school, but he pushed me,” former student Cameron Iverson ’04 said. Iverson just finished his PhD and dedicated his dissertation to both of his parents and to Otsuki, indicating the great influence Otsuki had on his education.
Despite the inevitable struggles of his sickness, Otsuki remained cheerful, kind, and attentive even in his last days. Just a couple of days before his passing, when students, colleagues and friends were saying their goodbyes, Adams heard him giving a student tips about medical school.
On Saturday, April 14, at 2 pm there will be a celebration of Otsuki’s life held in Upper Herrick, with a reception following in Mosher Patio. All are welcome.
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