Doctor Ignacio J. Ocasio
aka "Doc Oc" passed away suddenly and unexpectedly this weekend.



He was an amazing guy and a great pianist. A truly beautiful person in every sense. He was without question the greatest teacher/professor I've ever had the privilege of knowing. He was the first professor I met at Case. He taught freshman chemistry in a lecture hall of 250 students and knew my name the very first day of class and never forgot it. He promised to learn every single name before the semester was over. I don't think it ever took him longer than two weeks. Although he absolutely knew my name he called me Prentikov, his own version of my last name. I don't know why but whenever he said it I laughed as did the other 249 people in the room. I sat between my roommates Mike and Mike and he referred to us as a Prentikov sandwich on Mike bread.

I'm sure that everyone felt special to this guy but he had a way of making you feel like the one student he really truly cared about. He was a big strong guy and I'm sure he had one of those bone crushing grips in reserve if he ever needed it but his handshake was a warm inviting one that made you glad you stopped in to talk to him if you ever did. His smile and laugh were infectious and he could somehow make a cold classroom full of strangers feel like family in his first lecture of the semester.

I stopped to visit my old boss on campus a few years back and he was the only other person I made a special effort to locate while I was there. I walked up to where his office was 7 years earlier when I attended Case and he was right there grading exams. I wasn't sure if he'd remember me but I walked in anyway. He barely looked up from the papers and with his classic smooth Puerto Rican drawl belted out "Prentikov, take a look at dis. What'n the world do you think dis guy was thinking right here?" It was like he just expected me to be there. It was surreal. I looked at the test, laughed a little and said something dumb like "well that's obviously 2-4 Cis Chiki -3 Trans Butyl Hexane so I have no idea what he was thinking." He laughed his classic Doc Oc rumble and then said "how'n the hell are you, Prentikov?!" "How are the Mikes?"

He was only 53. Way too young to be gone.

I miss you Doc. I wish I'd had a chance to say goodbye. A lot of people truly loved you and I am honored to have been one of them.

Prentikov