Donald LeRoy Silhacek
December 2, 2017
Dr. Donald L. Silhacek passed away on December 2, 2017, at Haven Hospice in Gainesville, FL. Don was born in Pierce, NE, on November 9, 1937. He grew up on a farm outside of Norfolk, NE, where he became skilled at repairing farm machinery and building wooden shelters for farm animals. In 1953, when he was 16, Don entered the University of Nebraska, earning both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Entomology. In 1965, he earned a doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under renown Dr. Henry Lardy of the Institute for Enzyme Research and Dr. Stanley Beck of the Department of Entomology. Don moved to Savannah, GA, in 1965 to join the Agricultural Research Service of the Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a Research Chemist. Several years later, he transferred to the USDA Insect Attractants, Behavior and Basic Biology Research Laboratory (now the Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology) in Gainesville, FL, from which he retired after 41 years of service. As a courtesy Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Florida and served as co-chair on graduate student committees, sponsoring student research in his laboratory. A member of the Postharvest and Bioregulation Research Unit, Don was an innovative and creative scientist who tackled multifaceted research projects on a variety of complex problems in insect physiology and biochemistry of stored product insects. Don’s research specialty was on insect storage proteins and the control of stored product insects using insect growth regulators. He collaborated internationally with scientists in Australia, Israel, and Canada. Don is remembered for his wry, Midwestern sense of humor and wit that he shared with others. Co-workers were always welcome in the lab for a cup of coffee and Don as a sounding board for their ideas. He was an excellent mentor to younger scientists and students working in his laboratory, many of whom went on to become successful research scientists and professors in the academic community. Don was a member of Gamma Sigma Delta, Sigma Xi, the American Chemical Society, and the Entomological Society of America. His hobbies were metal and wood working and he spent much of his leisure time building a beautiful home with two-story shop south of Gainesville. Don is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Joan; son James Silhacek, a mathematician at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH; and daughter Jill Morton, of Jacksonville, FL. Crevasse's Simple Cremation is honored to serve the Silhacek family.
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Today I learned of the passing of Don. He was a roommate of Kenneth Eng and me at the University of Nebraska. This past weekend I attended memorial services for Ken Eng. We both wondered about Don's activities, but did not take time to search him out. I have seen a sample of Don's scientific contributions. I was not surprised at his many successes. He was the most scientifically oriented colleague we had in Lincoln. Ken became a super wealthy cattle man as a land owner and nutritional consultant. He wrote his story in "Started small and just got lucky". I became a plant geneticist with a long career as professor in plant breeding at the Univ of California, Davis. I didn't get rich, but always had food on the table and a great family with 3 children. I am so sorry that Don and I didn't maintain contact over the years. With Best Regards, Cal Qualset