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RFUFRETIRED FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, INC.September 2006Board of Directors2006-2007Volume 31, Number 1P r e s i d e n t ’s M e s s a g eCharles TaylorPRESIDENTRaymond AndrewPRESIDENT ELECTJames R. SaucermanSECRETARYWelcome to a new academic year at the University of Florida. Itseems that September comes around quicker each year, this yearespecially. Soon there will be thousands of young people returningto our campus to socialize, enjoy campus life, and perhaps evenstudy. This is also the time for the RFUF to launch an excitingnew season.William Van Dyke, Jr.TREASURERDuane S. EllifrittPAST PRESIDENTJoseph AmdurRay BoducRobert F. LanzillottiRobert A. LevittC. Vernon ShafferAnn SmithDIRECTORSRobert A. RameyMEMBERSHIP CHAIRMadelyn M. LockhartNEWSLETTER EDITORAudrey ClarkHOSPITALITY CHAIRFall Luncheon11:30 a.m.October 4, 2006Paramount Plaza HotelThe Fall Luncheon is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. on October 4 at theParamount Resort. The weekly Wednesday morning meetings willbe in the Harn Museum of Art – Coffee and Doughnuts: 9:30 to10:00 a.m. – Meeting 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. A schedule of speakers isincluded in this Newsletter.The Chandler Auditorium of the Harn Museum of Art has been avery friendly meeting place for our group and we have reserved itWednesday mornings for both the Fall and Spring Semesters.Program Chairman-President Elect Ray Andrew has booked anoutstanding group of speakers. We are always reminded of ourgood fortunate to be able to draw such talented speakers from therich diversity of the University faculty and from the city ofGainesville.Our speakers, though held to a brief time limit, have consistentlybeen extremely interesting and enlightening. The attendance atour weekly meetings of 50-60 is very good but we would like toshare our great programs with many more. So, if you have UFFaculty friends who have retired (recently or not so recently),please invite them to upcoming meetings. Others who have servedon faculties of other universities are also welcome to join RFUF asAssociate Members and enjoy the same rights and privileges asMembers.I look forward to seeing you all on a regular basis starting onOctober 4Chuck Taylor
RETIREDFLORIDA,FACULTYOFTHEUNIVERSITYOFPage 2INC.Programs Fall 2006The following meetings are at 10:00 a.m. at the Harn Museum of Art.(Coffee at 9:30a.m.)October 11DR. BARBARA O. KORNER, Professor and Associate Dean,College of Fine Arts"Environmental Design Lighting"October 18ROBERT JERRY, Dean, Fredric G. Levin College of Law"The Wonderful World of Insurance: Risk, Life, Death, Hurricanes, The Kitchen Sinkand Much More"October 25DR. CATHERINE EMIHOVICH, Dean, College of Education"Engaged Scholarship Research for the Public Good"November 1DR. MICHAEL MARTINEZ, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science"Election Around the Corner"November 8HANK CONNER, Associate Professor Emeritus, University of Florida"Fast Forward and Rewind: Four Decades in Gainesville Broadcasting"November 15DR. KENNETH WALD, Professor, Department of Political Science"Election Post-Mortem"November 29DR. WILLIAM VAN DYKE, JR., Retired Engineer, Departments of Defense andEnergy and Professor of Engineering, University of Maryland, George WashingtonUniversity and Johns Hopkins University"Robert Oppenheimer and Band of Brothers In Development of the Atomic Bomb"December 6DR. ED GILMAN, Professor, Environmental Horticulture"Pruning Trees to Resist Hurricanes"December 13DR. WILLIAM T. DRIEBE, Professor and Interim Chair, Department ofOphthalmology“Corneal Infections”October 411:30amFALL LUNCHEON, Paramount Plaza Hotel and SuitesSpeaker: Mary Wise, Head Volleyball Coach, University of Florida"Building Champions"
Page 3Volume 31, Number 1Awards, Appointments, and RecognitionÌ President Bernie Machen will serve as one of 15 presidents and chancellors of universities inthe FBI's new National Society Higher Education BoardÌ Physics Professor Arthur Hebard and Chemistry Professor Weihong Tan have been namedFellows in the American Advancement of ScienceÌ Dr. Colin Burrows, Chairman of the Department of Small Animal Sciences and Chief of Staff of the Small AnimalHospital, College of Veterinary Medicine has received the 2006 World Small Animal Medical Association/WalthamInternational Award for Services to the Profession.Ì Dr. Sandra Wilson, Associate Professor of Environmental and Horticultural Sciences received the Teacher/FellowAward from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.Ì E.T York, Chancellor Emeritus of Florida's University System received the Service to America and WorldAgriculture Award from the National Association of Agricultural Agents.Ì A new book, Changing the World: True Stories of Women Engineers profiles, among others, UF's Provost JanieFouke for her research on asthma, Prof. Wendy Graham for her research on the ways to reduce nutrient pollution inground water, Prof. Carol Lehtola for her studies on renovations, i.e., installing protective rollover structures, and Prof.Dorata Hamen for her efforts to help farmers around the world manage water problems.Ì University of Florida alumnus, Robert Grubbs, (BS,MS'65) has won the Nobel Prize for the development ofpowerful catalysts that opened the door for metathesis to become a tool for new drugs and better materials. Hefollows Alumnus Marshall Nirenberg (BS,MS'52) who previously won the Nobel Prize for his work in deciphering thegenetic code.ÌCarl Van Ness who is the curator of archives and manuscripts in the Department of Special and Area StudiesCollections in the George A. Smathers Libraries has been named the University of Florida official historian. Hesucceeds Samuel Proctor who was the first named historian when the position was created in the 1950's and held ituntil his death in 2005. Van Ness has co-authored the book Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future which describesUF's history from 1853 to 2003The World of SubjuGator and NaviGatorOur engineering students have been busy operating in the world of robots. SubjuGator,a 30 pound robotic submarine designed by 8 UF students in Electrical and ComputerEngineering placed first in a national competition of student built robotic submarines.NaviGator, a robotic car designed by a team of professors, technicians and doctoral students made it through several challenges from 118 schools to get to the main event. The UF entry in thefirst national robot car race two years ago came in eighth. The NaviGator traveled just 6/10 the of amile. However, this year's entries, including the 2005 NaviGator had much improved electronics. Theywere ready for the 113 mile course across the desert on the Nevada- California line. At day's end, after avaliant try, NaviGator had traveled 23 miles and thus placed 18th among the 23 finalists. Much of the research involved in the NaviGator can be used by the U.S. Air Force. NaviGator was a worthy ambassadorfor UF's College of Engineering and a valuable research experience for our graduate students.
RETIREDFLORIDA,FACULTYOFTHEUNIVERSITYOFPage 4INC.Research at UF: The Citrus IndustryUniversity of Florida professors and graduate students are mobilizing to defend Florida's 9.3 billion citrus industry from canker citrus and citrus greening. The 2004 hurricanesspread citrus canker to 80,000 acres of commercial land. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma spreadthe disease even farther, 168,000--220,000 acres could be affected. Thus, eradication ofgroves is no longer a feasible strategy. The research team at Lake Alfred, led by ProfessorJim Graham has developed a modified bacteria which will help researchers learn moreabout the canker bacteria, hopefully leading to more effective quarantine practices. Inaddition, Gloria Moore and Fred Gmitter, Professors of Horticulture Sciences are workingto determine if the citrus tree itself, thought gene transfer, can provide canker resistance.Citrus greening, a disease transmitted by an insect, the Asian citrus psyllid, found throughout Florida is an evenbigger problem than citrus canker. To attack these insects, natural enemies of the psyllid were imported fromTaiwan and Thailand. Although the early results of this research are promising, attacking the problem will alsorequire effective management practices, including early detection and testing of pesticidesEconomics of GrowthDid you know?Florida's economy is booming---right? 1000new residents every day; housing prices up72% over the last ten years; revenues fromthe documentary stamp tax doubled over thelast four years; the state is awash in taxrevenues. Not so fast, say David Denslow,UF Professor of Economics and CarolWeissert, LeRoy Collins Eminent Scholar atFSU. "Tough Choices" by these authors, examines theimpact of Florida's 5 million residents over 55, including 3million retirees---10% of the nation's total. Legislators are notconvinced as yet, but the time will come, sooner rather thanlater when the crunch hits and the LeRoy Collins Instituterecommendations will have to be taken seriously. Theseinclude preparing interim recommendations to the newgovernor and legislature in 2007 . Such considerations as:IMMIGRANTS In the1890's an eccentric Shakespeare enthusiast, EugeneSchieffelin, released 100 starlings into Central Park in NYC in order to introduce the "New World" to the birds mentioned in the bard's work. Now, there are anestimated 200 million starlings in America,making them our most prolific immigrants.1. modification of the class size limits to meet other schoolneeds, such as teachers salaries,2. take a long look at the allocations of Medicaid,3. improve service levels in areas such as higher educationwhich has strong impacts on the state's economicdevelopment efforts,4. adjust taxes and fees, such as the sales, gas and propertytax levels, and finally5. refrain from giving tax breaks to retirees.OUTSOURCING Have you spoken to anyone in Bombay today? If not, you probablywill tomorrow, since 16% of the call centersare overseas. In addition, companies are outsourcing 32% of product development, 30% ofadministrative activities and 22% of information technology.HIGH WINDS The 2005 Atlantic hurricaneseason was the busiest on record, according tothe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There were 26 named storms, ofwhich 13 were hurricanes, seven majorones. This surpassed the previous record of 21storms in 1933. According to NOAA, the Atlantic Basin is in an active phase which willenhance hurricane activity in the future.
Page 5Volume 31, Number 1GARBAGE When you swim in the ocean, remember it is full of garbage. Last year, an environmental group removed 7.6 million pounds of garbage from the oceans bordering 88 countries.HIV/AIDS More then 40 million people world wide have HIV/AIDS . Every day 8000 peopledie of AIDS related diseases. UF is a leader in AIDS research, but more is needed especially forpatients living in poverty in the developing world.YOUR YACHT Do you have a yacht or other boat you aren't using? You can now donateit to UF to be sold , the money to be used for scholarships or professorshipsHEALTH CARE COSTS In employer provided health care programs, the illnesses of 4%of the covered families account for 49% of the costs, i.e. 10,000 per year per family.WHERE IS IT? What are we teaching our children? A recent survey of those aged 18 to 24 showed 64% could notlocate Iraq on a map. And even worse, 50% could not locate New York State.WIND FARMS The Philippines have opened the first Wind Farm in the Southeast,bringing them closer to energy independence. It is estimated that they can save almost 3 billion in fuel (energy) imports over the next 10 years.RAT CAPS Until the 1960's ( do you remember) freshmen were required to wear smallcaps every day except Sunday. Although President Steven O'Connell attempted to promotethe tradition, the students rejected it in the 1970's.GAINESVILLE WON Gainesville was the highest bidder for the University of Florida in 1906, one hundred yearsago. Lake City was a strong contender, but Gainesville offered 500 acres of land, 40,000 in cash and free water services.ALACHUA COUNTY'S FIRST The first Catholic Mission Church was established in 1606 just 8 miles northeast ofGainesville, before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Four centuries ago this year, the church and educational center was founded and named San Francisco de Potano after the native tribe of Timucua speakers who inhabited the regiontoday known as Alachua County.EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE. The Department of Defense is making natural resourcemanagement plans for its military bases around the country. Eglin Air Force Base in thepanhandle of Florida is noted as one of the best in the nation for the preservation of theenvironment for birds and other animals.OUR HIGH SCHOOLS There was a national survey of high schools, measuring the percentage of the total enrollment of the school who scored well on the SAT. Eastside High School was sixth on the list of 100 schools across thenation. Florida had 18 high schools that made this list.Check out Our Website!www.retiredfaculty.ufl.edu
RETIRED FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITYTHE GREENING OF UFUF's sustainability initiativedates back to 1997 when agroup of students and facultyvolunteers founded anadvisory group called GreeningUF. Later, the UF SustainabilityTask Force was created, resultingin a list of recommendations., many of whichwere instituted. About half of the nation'scolleges and universities have launched similarprograms, but UF has gone further than most in avariety of ways. For example, UF has 13environmentally friendly "green" buildings: thatis, building constructed with renewable materialsto high energy standards. Saving electricity byadjusting the temperature in classrooms anddormitories and using biofuels whenever possibleare other ways UF is environmentally friendly. Inaddition, UF is the only university to receive theAudubon Society's "Certified AudubonCooperative Sanctuary" award for wildlifemanagement and resource conservation.Page 6MELANOMADr. Howard Johnson, professorImmunology, IFAS, had developeda vaccine which provides almostcomplete protection from melanoma, adeadly form of skin cancer. Once thevaccine is licensed, human clinical trials canbegin.MIGRATIONWe know that during a period of sudden globalwarming, 55 million years ago, mammalsmigrated across northern landbridges. Now, as a result of theresearch of UF Paleontologist,Dr. Jonathan Block, we know thatplants from more tropicalenvironments migrated too. Inaddition, we can surmise thatlush tropical forests might haveplayed a role in the evolution of primates'climbing skills.CHANGES ON THE UF CAMPUSl. Shands Health Care and UF's Health Science Center plans to construct a 200 bed cancer hospital on the site ofthe University Center Hotel on Archer Road.2. The Bob Graham Center for Public Service opened on the main campus this summer. Graham intendsto lecture and occasionally teach a course at the center.3. UF has now spread its wings even further. The UF Center for International Studies in Beijing, China, opened last year and is going strong.4. The Museum of Natural History is adding more than 30 exotic species and hybrids toits Butterfly Rain Forest Exhibit.5. The Levin College of Law, to meet a demand of lawyers trained in the international arena, is adding a newgraduate program, i.e. Master of Law in International Taxation.6. The housing department is installing wireless computer networks in all resident hall common areas.7. Research Awards rose by 494 million last year. Two organizations, the National Institute ofHealth and the National Science Fund increased awards to UF by 30.9 million more than theprevious year.8. The new Wetlands Ecological Research Aviary, a 13,000 square foot outdoor aviary,one the nation's largest, has been located just east of Gainesville. It will house 160white ibises. UF scientists in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation will conduct a 5 yearstudy to learn how tiny amounts of mercury can affect wildlife, especially wading birdsin the Florida Everglades.
Volume 31, Number 1Page 7Harn Museum Spring ExhibitionThe Harn Museum is currently seeking adequate funding in order to present a unique and extensive exhibition of modern and contemporary art in Ethiopia from the 1940's to the present. The collection, organized by Museum Director Rebecca Nagy and NorthCarolina Central University professor, Achamyeleh Debela will present 61 works by 23 artists along with additional media and contextual materials. An accompanying catalogue will explore the role of government support of artists as a strategy for the modernization of Ethiopia. In particular, this exhibition is the first to examine the influence of the School of Fine Arts in Addis Ababa, theartists who were and are active and the political and social upheavals of 20th century Ethiopia. In the spring of 2007, the Harn willhost the 14th Triennial Symposium of the Arts Council of the African Studies Association as well as other educational programsin partnership with U.F's Center for African Studies and the School of Art and Art History. After May, 2007, the exhibit will travelto other university museums in the U.S.In MemoriamWe regret to announce the departure from this life of our retired colleagues.We extend our condolences to their families & friends.Henry AldrichJohn Wilson FlowersRobert PrimackMicrobiology and Cell SciencePhysicsEducationGiuseppe BasileJames LongstrethJohn E. ReynoldsElectrical EngineeringEducationFood and Resource EconomicsWilliam G. BlueRalph MaurerJames WattenburgerSoil SciencePsychiatryEducationEdward E. CarrollDarrell E. McCloudJ.B. WhiteNuclear ScienceAgronomyAgronomyJames EadesCade MoscoviciAbbas Awl ZamenGeologyPathologyEngineeringReid PooleMusicMEMBERSHIPThe University of Florida Foundation's listing of UF retired faculty and administrators shows that 500 of us are living inthe Gainesville area. We'd like all to join the current 200 plus members of RFUF. Retired faculty and administrators 55years and older who have at least 10 years of service in a department or center are eligible to join, as are like retiredmembers from other universities. Members are challenged to invite those who are not members to join us. We will enjoytheir participation.For annual dues of only 10, our members can join us on Wednesdays of each week from 9:30 to 11:00 at the HarnMuseum where parking is free for our members. Our coffee and doughnut social time, our informative programs and ouropen question and answer sessions all keep us involved in the university and with each other. RFUF adds to the pleasureof retiring in Gainesville. Use the form on the reverse page for new members.Our first meeting is a luncheon on Oct 4th at the Paramount Plaza Hotel. Our speaker is Mary Wise, Head VolleyballCoach at UF. Mary is a great motivational speaker who will lead us into a new year of splendid programs. Send yourreservation for the luncheon using the form on the reverse page.We use the “address label” to advise our members whether or not their annual dues are up to date.Date on Mailing LabelTake this Action09/30/06Pay 10 (l) years dues09.30/07 or laterYour dues are paid up or aheadPlease use the form on the reverse page of this newsletter to submit your dues.
PRESORTED STANDARDU.S. POSTAGEPaidPermit No. 1GAINESVILLE, FLRFUFRetired Faculty of the University of Florida, Inc.PO Box 15544, University StationGainesville, FL 32604-1554Address service requestedRFUF Fall LuncheonOctober 4, 2006Name:Address:E-mail Address:No. of Tickets @ 14.00Please send acheck with yourdues to: RFUF,PO Box 15544Gainesville, FL32604-1554RFUF Annual DuesDeadline: September 27 10.00(October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007)Amount Paid Name:Address:Phone:E-mail Address:Retired from Dept.
Page 3 Volume 31, Number 1 Ì President Bernie Machen will serve as one of 15 presidents and chancellors of universities in the FBI's new National Society Higher Education Board Ì Physics Professor Arthur Hebard and Chemistry Professor Weihong Tan have been named Fellows in the American Advancement of Science Ì Dr. Colin Burrows, Chairman of the Department of Small Animal Sciences and Chief .
