David Wake, a widely-loved and respected UC Berkeley professor emeritus of integrative biology and the world’s leading salamander expert, died April 29 at the age of 84.
After getting his doctorate at the University of Southern California, David Wake was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago until 1969, when he was hired at UC Berkeley. According to his wife, Marvalee Wake, who is also a graduate professor in integrative biology, the two viewed their science as “complementary.”
“Hundreds of messages (are) coming in worldwide that pretty much say the same thing, talking about his high level of integrity, his ethical nature, his warmth and friendliness, his intellectual curiosity and intellectual scope,” Marvalee Wake said.