Another in the continuing series dedicated to the Separated at Birth phenomenon.
 |
| Frank Asaro: Scientist |
I couldn't quite place it at first, but this familiarity seemed to have something to do with the epic beard he was sporting. The first thought was that he resembled former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. A case could probably be made that Frank Asaro and C. Everett Koop were indeed separated at birth. They were supposedly born eleven years apart, but are certainly contemporaries of each other.
 |
| C. Everett Koop |
 |
| Frank Asaro |
But, as you've probably noticed, the title of this edition of Separated at Birth doesn't mention C. Everett Koop. No, there seemed to be something else nagging at my mind when I saw Mr. Asaro. I saw the "In Search of..." episode less than a week before Christmas and it felt like Frank Asaro's long-lost "relative" must have had something to do with the season at hand. The answer was found in the old animated Christmas special "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"(1966). This Boris Karloff-narrated show was alway a favorite of mine as a kid (and still is, as a matter of fact).
Now, note the resemblance between the bearded Who and Frank Asaro. Similar Beard. Similar hairline. Throw some glasses and a tie on the Who and it's almost uncanny, right?
 |
| The Bearded Who |
 |
| Frank Asaro |
 |
| Abraham Lincoln |
 |
| Frank Asaro |
I don't know what ever became of the bearded Whoville resident in the years since he helped usher in Christmas by singing "Welcome Christmas" back in 1966. Does anyone happen to know what the average life span is for a Who? HIs bald head and white beard would seem to indicate that he was already an elder of the town, but I really couldn't say how old he would have been back when the special first aired, or if he'd be likely to still be alive today.
However, thanks to the internet we do have a better idea of what happened to Frank Asaro in the three-plus decades since his appearance on "In Search of...". According to his Wikipedia page he's still "an Emeritus Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory associated with the University of California at Berkeley." And according to Berkeley's Environmental Energy Technologies Division website he's part of the Sustainable Energy Systems Group. Here's a more recent photo of Mr. Asaro from that site:
 |
Note that after all these years he's still rockin' his trademark beard!
...Even if it is cropped a little closer these days.
|
See more instances of people (and other things) that seemed to have been "Separated at Birth" below:
My buddy Horton heard a Who who said that Bearded Who had a twin brother named.......FRANK!
ReplyDeleteNice!
DeleteThis is hysterical. I have that book. And I once dressed up a former student of mine like Cindy Loo Hoo--it's somewhere on my old blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://snobbyblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Cindy+Loo+Hoo
See you at Jeff Jam.
Dr. Frank Asaro passed way a few days ago on June 10th, 2014. He was a great husband, father. Grandfather, UNCLE, scientist, teacher, mentor, and role model. Nor only was he instrumental in the advancement of science, working with such peers as Louie Alvarez, Helen Michaels, and Walter Alvarez, and many other notable scientist over the years, Asaro is best known as the nuclear chemist who discovered the iridium anomaly that led to the development of the asteroid impact theory to explain the mass extinctions 65 million years ago. This included the demise of the dinosaurs, that occurred at the end of the geological era known as the Cretaceous period in Earth's history (wiki pages, Frank Asaro.). This theory has become a major achievement and is now accepted and taught at most schools across the world.
DeleteHe leaves behind 4 children, 4 grandchildren, a sister, two nephews, many relatives, many in-laws, and a myriad of students, who themselves have become great scientist, authors, and painters i their own right--Many who were directly influenced by Dr. Asaro. We, the family, are very proud of him and his influence over us and the world.
He has made a great positive impact on the world Andy's and we will miss him dearly. Thank you for the parody as I found it amusing and would like to think that his beard was unique to him :-) and his own style, especially since he was around before the aforementioned cartoons and leaders--except for President Lincoln of course. -J. Scudder (Matriarch Maiden name Asaro)
Dr. Frank Asaro passed away a few days ago on June 10th, 2014. He was a great husband, father. Grandfather, UNCLE, scientist, teacher, mentor, and role model. Not only was he instrumental in the advancement of science, working with such peers as Louie Alvarez, Helen Michaels, and Walter Alvarez, and many other notable scientist over the years, Asaro is best known as the nuclear chemist who discovered the iridium anomaly that led to the development of the asteroid impact theory to explain the mass extinctions 65 million years ago. This included the demise of the dinosaurs, that occurred at the end of the geological era known as the Cretaceous period in Earth's history (wiki pages, Frank Asaro.). This theory has become a major achievement and is now accepted and taught at most schools across the world.
ReplyDeleteHe leaves behind 4 children, 4 grandchildren, a sister, two nephews, many relatives, many in-laws, and a myriad of students, who themselves have become great scientist, authors, and painters in their own right--Many who were directly influenced by Dr. Asaro. I am very proud of him and his influence over us and the world.
He has made a great positive impact on the world and I will miss him dearly. Thank you for the parody as I found it amusing and would like to think that his beard was unique to him :-) and his own style, especially since he was around before the aforementioned cartoons and leaders--except for President Lincoln of course. -J. Scudder (Matriarch Maiden name Asaro)