Herman Jan Phaff
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Johannes Schelto Phaff | |
| Moeder: | Grietje Mellema | |
| Geboren: | 30 MEI 1913 | Winschoten |
| Overleden: | 2001 | |
| Aantekeningen: | Herman Jan Phaff spent his childhood in the environment of his family's winery, which stimulated his interest in microorganisms and consequently had a strong impact on his later life. He attended the Technical University in Delft, where he earned a B.S. degree in chemical engineering with a thesis on "The elaboration of extracellular pectin-hydrolyzing en zymes by fungi," a subject of importance to the wine industry. In 1939, at the recommendation of renowned microbiologist A.J. Kluyver, Mr. Phaff came to California to pursue graduate study at UC Berkeley in the Division of Fruit Products, later know n as the Department of Food Technology. His initial research was done with Emil Mrak (later chancellor at UC Davis), and in his Ph.D. studies he worked under the direction of Maynard Joslyn and H.A. Barker. His research focused on yeast taxonomy, ecology and physiology. Mr. Phaff was studying in the United States during WWII; his brother, who fought in the Dutch resistance, was lost to the Nazi forces. In 1943 Mr. Phaff accepted a faculty position at UC Berkeley, and he moved to UC Davis in 1954 when the Food Science department was transferred. In all, he was an active member of the University of California faculty for 58 years. During that time, he published two books and hundreds of research papers and was the recipient of numerous awards, including being named as University of California at Davis Faculty Research Lecturer in 1969. In 1985, Professor Phaff co-authored a definitive bibliography of viticulture and enology publications with the distinguished professor Maynard Amerine. Although he officially retired from full-time research in 1983, Professor Phaff maintained a very active research laboratory. He continued daily study and work on a collection of over 6000 yeast strains, representing over 400 of the 700 known yeast species - many of which are available only from his collection. The collection contains the strains Professor Phaff collected on global expeditions throughout his research career and also includes several hundred yeast strains collected in the 1930s by Professors Mrak and Cruess. Few microbial culture collections of this size and diversity have been collected and maintained by any institution, let alone by a single researcher. This collection is utilized by academic and industrial researchers throughout the world. On October 4, 1996, the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences held a symposium presented in Professor Phaff's honor, at which the The Herman J. Phaff Culture Collection: Yeasts and Yeast-Like Microorganisms as an official Biological Collection of the University of California was formally dedicated. Professor Phaff was also noted for his professional skill as a cellist and his passion for the arts and culture. He was a founding member of the Davis Comic Opera Company and the UCD symphony orchestra - playing it its inaugural concert in 1959 - and a dedicated player in chamber music groups in the Bay area and Davis for five decades. He was chairman of the Committee for Arts and Lectures at UC Davis and in 1960 was made an honorary member of the Music Department. Professor Phaff and his wife, Diane, shared a love of music and the arts, and the couple sponsored visiting musicians on campus, hosted performances in their home, and were long-time supporters of UC Davis Presents and other community cultural groups. Professor Phaff's former wife, Marinka, who died in 1985, was also a strong supporter of the Davis community cultural scene and is well remembered for her involvement with the arts. As a fitting bookend to his illustrious life, Professor Phaff was awarded the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Award of Distinction for 2001. Sadly, notification of the award arrived only on Monday, August 27th. His wife will accept the award in his honor. Herman Jan Phaff never stopped learning and seeking to enrich the scientific community, and the Phaff Culture Collection is the culmination of his life's work as a scientist. The family asks that gifts in his honor be directed to the Herman J. Phaff Culture Collection, UC Davis Food Science Department, Cruess Hall, Davis, California 95616. Professor Phaff is survived by his wife, Diane; his sister, Re Phaff, of London, England; his nephew Japp Phaff, wife Madelon, and their three children, of Breda, Netherlands; his niece Helma Phaff and her son, of Heemstede, Netherlands; his nephew Frans Frederik Wethmar of Amsterdam, Netherlands; his step-daughters, Kim Rowland and Correy Rowland Cavanaugh; and his granddaughters, Maggie and Julia Horowitz. He is also survived by his cat and two beloved terriers. A memorial service for Professor Phaff will be held on October 29th at the Buehler Alumni Center on the UC Davis campus. His family invites all his students, colleagues and associates to attend and celebrate the life of a great scholar, teacher, musician, family man, and friend. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Elisabeth Free | geb. 6 Sept 1916 |
| Huwelijk: | 7 Feb 1939 | Oude Pekela |
Gezin 2
| Huwelijkspartner: | Maria Dmitrievna Borantijnska | geb. 1 Aug 1917 |
| Huwelijk: | 31 Juli 1948 | Carson City, Nevada |