The Passing of Todd Klaenhammer.

Abstract

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I write to inform you of the untimely passing of my dear friend and colleague, Todd Klaenhammer, who left us on March 6, 2021, following a brief hospitalization. Retired as a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Food Science,Microbiology, andGenetics andUniversity Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University, Todd was an eminent food microbiologist who revolutionized the study of bacterial probiotics and microbes associated with the fermentation of dairy products. His pioneering research led to the discovery of new bacteriocins, the development of phage-resistant lactic acid bacteria for fermenting cheese, and the application of probiotics to foods for health-promoting benefits.The ultimate recognition of the importance of his research contributions was his election to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2001. Todd wrote an autobiographical review titled “Get Cultured: Eat Bacteria” for Volume 10 of the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology that details many of his incredible career accomplishments. My association with Todd was largely through the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, of which Todd and I were the founding Co-Editors As a bit of history, we were contacted in 2007 by the then Editor-in-Chief of Annual Reviews, Dr. Samuel Gubins, to develop a food science and technology–oriented journal for Annual Reviews. At the time, both Todd and I were fully occupied with many other professional commitments so we were not interested in taking on new opportunities. However, Sam was unrelenting and arranged for us to meet with him at a conference in Chicago where he put the full-court press on us to take on this new offering.With some reluctance we accepted Sam’s invitation and, with the involvement of an incredibly talented and highly esteemed Editorial Committee, we set off to chart the course for the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, which is now at volume 12. Todd’s involvement in navigating the journal through a highly competitive publishing environment in which identifying and recruiting highly accomplished scientists to write timely review articles was incredible. Not only did he stay abreast of the leading developments in our field, but he was also well connected with the scientists who were paving the way, thereby enabling the acquisition of top-notch articles. We who have benefited from articles published in Annual Review of Food Science and Technology can in large part thank Todd for the contributions he made to developing the journal. Among his many awards, Todd received from the North Carolina University System the O. Max Gardner Award, which is given to a researcher “who has made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.” I have no doubt that Todd is now in a better place where he will have an even greater impact promoting universally the application and benefits of probiotic microbes. Todd will be greatly missed but his legacy will live on.