Dr. Ramchandra Badachhape Feb. 18, 1930 ~ Jan. 28, 2025
HOUSTON: Ram Badachhape was born in the hamlet of Nasirabad, near Jalgaon, Maharashtra State, India. He was the oldest son of 6 children. He ultimately pursued a career in chemistry and obtained his PhD in Chemistry at Pune University in India in 1962 under the guidance of Dr. Anil Biswas. His dissertation focused on the physical properties of supercooled liquids. He had aspired to pursue his postgraduate studies in England, but his grandmother vetoed the idea out of concern that he might marry someone unsuitable.
In 1957 Ram married his wife and partner of 65 years Sarojini Navgale, and the births of Maya in 1959 and Abhaya (Ajay) in 1960 followed. Ram and Saroj were immensely proud of their children. In early 1963 after defending his dissertation, Ram moved to Philadelphia for a postdoctoral fellowship, and his young family followed a few months later. After enduring one cold Philadelphia winter, they moved to Houston, Texas where he went to work for Rice University as a contributing research chemist. Ram worked on the third floor of the Chemistry Building with Dr. John Margrave. Ram specialized in fluorine chemistry, and his studies contributed to advancements in energy, spaceflight, and plastics. Ram mentored numerous scholars who would go on to become pioneers in industry and academia. His contributions are cited in multiple books, journal publications, and the dissertations of students he mentored. Ram also taught at various universities in Texas during sabbaticals from Rice, including Jarvis ChrisJan College and Prairie View A&M College of Texas.
Ram and his family were one of the first Indian families to arrive in Houston in 1963, and certainly one of the first from the state of Maharashtra. Ram was a founding member of the Houston Marathi Mandal and the person who accepted the invitation to connect formally with Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal, an organization of Marathi people across North America, in Houston in 1995. Ram and his wife loved to entertain and welcome new friends. They had a tradition of having new Marathi immigrants come to their home and their selfless hospitality created a network of friends that functioned like a family away from home. Over the years, Ram and Saroj welcomed numerous Indian visitors into their home, among them the renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar.
Ram was an avid amateur athlete and played tennis until age 80 when health issues forced him to stop. He loved to eat, especially spicy foods. A good meal was a “two handkerchief” meal, achieved by sweating through two handkerchiefs while eating. He loved football and his Dallas Cowboys. He was an avid reader and news junkie.
Ram is survived by his daughter Dr. Maya Badachhape Bledsoe, her spouse Murff F. Bledsoe, daughter-in-law Sutapa Sur, grandchildren Nathan Lonsdale Bledsoe (Sarah), Grace Bledsoe Barr (John), and Dr. Andrew Badachhape (Rebecca Searle), and great-grandsons Holden Murff Barr and Oliver Navgale Lonsdale Bledsoe. He is preceded in death by 4 sisters and one brother, his wife, Sarojini R. Badachhape and his beloved son, Abhaya R. Badachhape.
The family will always be grateful for the wonderful care that Ann Garcia and her loving team at Com For Care in Bellaire gave Ram and Saroj during the last 2 years.
In the larger decades of his life, he loved to tell friends and family about how pleased and content he was, that he was proud of his children and their families, that he was happy with his wife and the life they had built (including all the bridge they played and the trips to casinos), and that he was thankful for their many friends. He will be missed by many.