Ahmed A. Kattan

Dr. Ahmed A. Kattan, 91, of Fayetteville, Arkansas passed away September 3, 2016 under the peaceful care of the Willard Walker Hospice Home in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Dr. Kattan was born March 21, 1925 in Cairo, Egypt. Following the receipt of his undergraduate degree at the University of Cairo in 1945, Dr. Kattan moved to the United States and entered graduate school at the University of Maryland in College Park, where he completed his Ph.D. in Horticulture in 1952. In 1953, he returned to Cairo for 10 months as a lecturer at Cairo University and worked with the government of Egypt on improvements in agriculture. In 1954, Dr. Kattan returned to the University of Maryland as an Assistant Professor, interviewed at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville that same year, and accepted an assistant professorship of horticulture in 1955. In 1957, he was asked by the Vice president for Agriculture to propose a food processing laboratory. Within 24 hours, he designed and presented his plan and the first Physiology and Processing Laboratory at the University of Arkansas was built the next year. Over the next 11 years, Dr. Kattan worked to create an academic program in Horticultural Food Science and in 1968 the department was founded with Dr. Kattan serving as the first department head of that program. Within the next 10 years, the program was expanded to include a Masters' and Doctoral program. The Food Science department at the University of Arkansas rose in status to a nationally renowned program, receiving numerous major grants and accolades. Dr. Kattan was also instrumental in obtaining corporate support and business involvement in the program, serving numerous administrative capacities in a variety of national organizations, as well as president of the Ozark Food Processing Association (OFPA). In addition to administrative work, Dr. Kattan completed significant research and was named a fellow by The American Society of Horticultural Science in 1978 for his achievements as inventor or co-inventor of the firmness-meter, the sweet potato color standard, mechanical harvesters for blackberries and strawberries, and a density mass-sorter. He had previously received the Woodbury Award from the society in 1959 for his numerous research publications. Dr. Kattan retired from the University of Arkansas in 1988 as a Distinguished Emeritus Professor. He considered himself a devoted Arkansan and was immensely proud to live most of his life in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He became a naturalized citizen in 1958, and was pleased that his social security number was reflective of his Arkansan status. Dr. Kattan was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Grace Phillips Kattan, who died December 18, 2010. Dr. Kattan met Ann at the University of Maryland, where she was a secretary in his department of study. She was the love of his life and they shared a marriage of 59 years. Dr. Kattan was also preceded in death by four brothers and a sister, all of Cairo, Egypt. Dr. Kattan is survived by three children: Dr. Jeanie K. Allen of Ozark, Missouri; Mitchell A. Kattan of Gloucester, Virginia; and Dr. Michael W. Kattan of Cleveland, Ohio. In addition, Dr. Kattan has 5 grandchildren: Hillary Bouteille of Arkansas; Alex and Blake Kattan of Virginia; and Madeleine and Lily Kattan of Ohio; as well as two great-grandchildren. A service is planned for Friday at 3 p.m. at the chapel in Fairview Memorial Gardens, 1728 E Mission Blvd., Fayetteville, Arkansas. In Lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a contribution in Dr. Ahmed A. Kattan's name to: Fayetteville Senior Activity and Wellness Center, 945 S. College Avenue, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 or Willard Walker Hospice Home, 325 E. Longview, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703 or Gift Services, The OFPA, Ahmed and Anna Kattan Scholarship, 300 University House, One University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 or online at: http://development.uark.edu. Online condolences at: www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.