A Tribute to Friendship

I read with great sadness in the A-T (10/11/23) about the death of Dr. George Barlow, a retired member of the Biology Department at Heidelberg University at the age of 96. Fifty-three years ago (that doesn't seem possible), I arrived on campus charged with developing new courses in Cell Biology and Developmental Biology. Dr. Ed Ashworth (geology), Dr. Dave Baker (plant physiology and aquatic studies), Dr. Howard Hintz (field biology), Dr. Percy Lily (botany and aquatic studies), Dr. Barlow (anatomy and physiology) were the well-established members of the department, and I must admit to feeling very intimidated when I first met them. I shouldn't have. In the last spring of 1970, a Heidelberg van pulled up to my apartment parking lot in Columbus and that incredible group of "gentlemen and scholars" piled out of the bus to introduce themselves to both my new wife and me. I then left with them for a five-day trip into the wilds of the West Virginia Mountains where we explored the feasibility of a new course for our Heidelberg students. Five days of "roughing it" gives you pretty good insight into a group of individuals and by the time the trip was finished, I realized that I had made a great decision to move to Tiffin, Ohio. Each of these scientists was bright but humble. Each had a distinct personality: Ed - quiet and always smiling; Dave - athletic and always on the go; Howard - the consummate naturalist whose knowledge of animal life was incredible; Percy - a native of West Virginia who knew the plant life and shared that knowledge with unbounded joy and George - a radiation physiologist who loved learning about the "outside world." Each of these men had their specialties, but they openly shared their knowledge with each of us and, more importantly, appreciated the expertise of each of the other members of the group. For seventeen years these men and I shared a love of learning a love of teaching; the great respect that each of us had for the other members of the department was evident. How wonderful to work with a group of colleagues who shared a common vision of education. For all those years I was the baby of the group now I am the last member. As each of the other members retired or passed away, new teacher-scientists took their places, and I was a part of bringing K. Baker and Carty and Berger and Faber to campus. The circle remained unbroken and continues so to this day; the 'Berg has always been so fortunate to have a strong, well-rounded and highly compatible Biology Department. But I shall always be grateful to the five who welcomed me to a career I came to love: Ed, Dave, Howard, Percy and George - you showed me what true collegiality was all about and taught me to admire and respect the whole of our discipline. Thank you, one and all. Dr. Bob Murray, Professor Emeritus of BiologyHeidelberg University