Looking through a 21^st century lens, it’s difficult to imagine the profession of forensic science without DNA. Yet just a short 25 years ago, the concept of using human DNA to identify individuals was only on the radar of a relatively few individuals.

One of those was Paul Benjamin Ferrara. Sadly for his colleagues in forensic science, Ferrara lost his battle with brain cancer on May 30.

After earning a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, followed by a two year stint as a research chemist at DuPont, Ferrara began his forensic career in 1971. In those early days, Ferrara was the face of forensic science in the state of Virginia. Under his leadership, forensic science went from an under-funded and relatively unknown agency to its current status as its own department that reports directly to the Governor’s Secretary of Public Safety.

In his role as director, Ferrara helped to write and advocate for the passage of legislation that defined the mission, role and authority of what is known today as the Department of Forensic Science. He helped establish an improved employee classification and compensation system for forensic scientists, which helped to attract and retain employees for the growing agency.

In the late 80’s, Ferrara recognized the value of accreditation and led the four laboratories that comprised the Virginia state system to achieve ASCLD/LAB accreditation. He served a four year term on the ASCLD/LAB Board of Directors from 1991-1995, including two years as the Chair. While serving as ASCLD/LAB Chair, Ferrara established the Proficiency Review Committee and the first full-time paid staff position. He was honored by his peers as the recipient of the Briggs White Award for excellence in forensic science management in 1991.

Ferrara, like many in the profession, didn’t start out to change the world. In an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2006, the year that he retired, Ferrara told how he and his colleagues saw the forensic potential of a new tool known as DNA fingerprinting. "We just knew intuitively … that it's going to change the way police conduct investigations, collect evidence, how prosecutors and defense attorneys are going to approach their cases," he said.

After accepting an offer from the private DNA laboratory Lifecodes to train two scientists, Virginia became the first state forensic laboratory in the United States to offer DNA testing for its customers. Virginia also established the first DNA database and became the model used by other states.

But Ferrara’s groundbreaking DNA program was not without its critics. Civil liberties advocates and criminal defense attorneys were quick to jump in and challenge the new technique, calling for the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study. A Committee on DNA Technology in Forensic Science was formed, and Ferrara served as one of the members of the committee. The Committee’s 1992 report paved the way for the forensic use of DNA and ushered in the CSI age.

Virginia’s first conviction obtained from a cold hit in the state’s database occurred in 1994. Around the same time, the fledgling Innocence Project realized the potential of this new forensic technique to provide compelling evidence of innocence for individuals convicted largely on circumstantial evidence and/or eyewitness misidentification.

WTVR-TV Investigative Reporter Mark Holmberg, who conducted an interview with Ferrara not long after he was diagnosed, said “there are few people in this world who have touched as many people, changed as many lives as Richmond’s own Paul Ferrara. Because of his intelligence, his vision, his highly organized brain, many of the world’s worst criminals have been caught, kept from raping and murdering again. The innocent have been set free.”

Patricia Cornwell, the best-selling author of numerous forensic novels, echoed Holmberg’s comments: “You really can blame Paul Ferrara for CSI, all these shows, all these movies, all these books. I would say that Paul has changed the world, not just changed lives, he’s changed forensic science in the world, he’s changed people.”

Dr. Marcella Fierro, retired Virginia state medical examiner, told Frank Green of the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Ferrara “made Virginia a better, safer place to live by leading and directing a laboratory whose work protected the innocent as well as convicting the guilty. It had innumerable firsts, all of which required considerable leadership when you have to persuade people to do something that has not been done before.”

"He preached the gospel of DNA, both to convict and exonerate with extraordinary exuberance and the criminal justice system will be indebted for that contribution," was how Peter Neufeld, cofounder of the Innocence Project, remembered Ferrara.

But perhaps Paul Ferrara summed it up best when he told Holmberg “I’m blessed, I’ve been very, very blessed, to raise a wonderful family, to have a wonderful career, a wonderful wife. I’m 68, that’s OK, I did good, I think, after it’s all said and done.”

One thing is certain; we may never fully comprehend the impact that Paul Ferrara had on the world as we know it. But those of us fortunate enough to call him a colleague and friend will never forget him.*****