Robert Vincent Decareau (May 26, 1926 – January 18, 2009)''Nashua (NH) Telegraph'' 20 January 2009 article on Decareau's death.
- accessed 25 July 2009. was an American

food scientist Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development ...

who was involved in the development of

microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ra ...

applications in food technology, specifically technology that would lead to the development of the

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce ...

. He also served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. Decareau also was charter member of Phi Tau Sigma while pursuing his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

Early life

Decareau was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

, but lived in the Arlington and

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

areas. After graduating in 1943, he enlisted in the US Navy, serving aboard the USS ''Randolph'' aircraft carrier as an anti-aircraft gunner. While aboard the ''Randolph'', Decareau survived two

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...

attacks in early 1945.

Return home and back to service

After World War II, Decareau returned to Massachusetts, enrolling at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. There, he earned two degrees in chemistry with his

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in 1949 and his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 1951. After earning his master's degree, Decareau was commissioned as a

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in the US Army during the Korean War, though he was stationed in

Linz, Austria Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...

. While in Austria, Decareau met his wife; he would be married to the former Rosa Kaiser until his death.

Back to school and Phi Tau Sigma

After his discharge from the US Army, Decareau returned to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to pursue his Ph.D. in chemistry. Decareau also became a charter member of Phi Tau Sigma.

Industrial career

After earning his Ph.D. in 1955, Decareau worked for

Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...

Allston Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most pa ...

on microwave technology that would lead to the development of the

.23 January 2009 ''Boston Globe'' article on Decareau's death.
- accessed 25 July 2009. Decareau's wife, Rosa, commented that a lot of work on the microwave oven was done at their home. Then at Lipton, he was involved in

freeze drying Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by most conve ...

. In the 1960s, Decareau moved to

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

to work with

Litton Industries Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States named after inventor Charles Litton Sr. During the 1960s, the company began acquiring many unrelated firms and became one of the largest conglomerates in the United States. A ...

. While at Litton, he developed microwave ovens that would be the foundation of

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

versions. Decareau moved back to Natick, Massachusetts later in his career to work in research and development at the

United States Army Soldier Systems Center The Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Soldier Center, now CCDC SC, was formerly the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, and is a tenant unit of the United States Army Natick Soldier System ...

to develop food processing techniques for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and space exploration applications. His work would earn him

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ship of the

Institute of Food Technologists The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is an international, non-profit scientific society of professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related areas in academia, government and industry. It has more than 17,000 members from ...

in 1994. During his career, Decareau was one of the first people to refer to himself as a food scientist.

Microwave consulting and support

Decareau authored nine books on microwave power, including ''Microwave Processing and Engineering'' and ''Microwaves in the Food Processing Industry''. A founder of the International Microwave Power Institute (IMPI), he also served as editor of the '' Journal of Microwave Power and Electromagnetic Energy''. Decareau also received a fellowship from IMPI. His colleagues at Natick would refer to him as "Mr. Microwave" for his numerous research studies in the field.

Personal life

Decareau and Rosa had four daughters, two sons, seven grandchildren, one great-grandson, a niece, and a nephew. He was involved in his church in Milford, New Hampshire and enjoyed classical music,

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

, and the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

. Decareau died in Nashua, New Hampshire of

Alzheimers Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...

after fighting the disease for 17 years.''Chicago Tribune'' 22 January 2009 article on Decareau's death.
- accessed 25 July 2009. The memorial service was held on January 22, 2009, in Milford.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decareacu, Robert 1926 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American chemists American food scientists United States Navy personnel of World War II Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Neurological disease deaths in New Hampshire Fellows of the Institute of Food Technologists People from Cambridge, Massachusetts People from Nashua, New Hampshire People from Palo Alto, California United States Army officers United States Navy sailors University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni People from Burlington, Massachusetts Military personnel from California Military personnel from Massachusetts