KU pharmaceutical chemistry professor dies

J. Howard Rytting, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at Kansas University, died at Lawrence Memorial Hospital Wednesday following a brief illness. He was 66.

Rytting had worked at KU since 1969, two years after the pharmaceutical chemistry department was founded, according to a press release from the university.

“Professor Rytting was a pioneer, not only in his field but here at the university as one of the founding members of a new pharmaceutical chemistry department that today is respected worldwide for its excellence,” Chancellor Robert Hemenway said in a statement. “His career and contributions were extraordinary and his loss is felt deeply. On behalf of the entire university, I extend my condolences to Professor Rytting’s family, friends and colleagues.”

Rytting’s work focused on improving the usefulness of drugs, including studying how drugs are absorbed through the skin.

Ken Audus, dean of the School of Pharmacy, called Rytting “a gentleman in every sense of the word.”