Brian Joseph Hales

He earned his BS from Carnegie Mellon University, completed postdoctoral work at the Royal Institute of Great Britain with Nobel Laureate Sir George Porter and was an NIH Post Doctoral Fellow at Northwestern University with Paul Loach. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota. He came to Baton Rouge in 1973 to join the Chemistry faculty at LSU and became a valued member of the university community. With prestigious sabbaticals at MIT and Cal Tech, he was published in numerous scientific journals and received honors and awards for his work. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 2010, the same year he married Cathy.

In addition to significant accomplishments in his research and teaching career, Brian was endlessly endeavoring to learn new skills. When his children were young, he began experimenting in the kitchen, much in the same way he did in the chemistry lab. He became an avid cook who loved reading books about cooking, watching cooking shows, grocery shopping, and preparing all meals he and Cathy ate at home. This included many memorable dinner parties he and Cathy hosted on their back porch with its BBQ Palace.

Brian was a theater buff and amateur actor, taking leading and supporting roles in several local plays. Also a movie enthusiast, he could easily recall actors, directors, movies, and television shows from years past. Add to this scuba diving, juggling and the violin.

Brian and Cathy enjoyed traveling near and far with friends as well as in their RV, dubbed the Road Pirogue. A favorite tradition became their annual trek to Montana, taking different off-highway routes to explore the country. They also loved quick escapes to their beach condo in Mississippi, always with the dogs in tow. Although Brian had never had a dog before his marriage to Cathy, he quickly learned the meaning of “dog love” through Venus, a rescue pet that remained their beloved companion for fourteen years.

Brian especially cherished his daughters and their families and was in constant contact with them long distance. One of his special joys was watching his grandchildren grow into young adults.

Brian was preceded in death by his parents, Douglas and Wanda Hales, his brothers, Doug and Greg Hales, and the mother of his children, Jacqueline Hales. He is survived by his wife, Cathy Coates; his daughters, Mariesa Howe (Paul) of

Rochester, NY and Allison Espeseth (Scott) of Madison, WI, and his grandchildren, Quentin and Stella Howe and Reuben and Gertie Espeseth.

Brian will be remembered for his sense of humor and quick wit, his breadth of knowledge, and his delight in the last chapter of his life. Most of all, he will be remembered for the love he shared with Cathy, his family, his friends and his pets. They were all important parts of his life, as he was of theirs and he will be deeply missed.

Funeral services will be held on September 24 at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 2025 Stuart Ave. Visitation begins at 10am and the funeral at 11am, followed by a private reception at their home.

Memorial donations may be made to Companion Animal Alliance at caabr.org, the ALS Association of Louisiana at als.org – specify Louisiana, or The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana at nature.org – specify Louisiana.