IN MEMORIAM
ALEXANDER CYRIL FABERGÉ
Alexander Cyril Fabergé was
born on February 26, 1912, in Moscow. He died in Austin on January 25,
1988. The nearly 76 years of his life were filled with most interesting
events, both historical and academic. He was the only son of Alexander
Julius Fabergé and Johanna Tammerman Fabergé and was the
grandson of Peter Carl Fabergé, famous jeweler to the Tsar. As
the Russian revolution approached, the family dispersed, Alex and his
parents going to France, where Alex spent much of his childhood. Family
relationships became fragmented, and Alex stayed with his mother until
her death in 1930. At that time, and for many years, Fabergé
apparently had little or no contact with any of his relatives.
Fabergé's university education
was in England, where he received a BSc degree from Reading in 1933
and a PhD from the John Innes Institution and University College London
in 1936. The DSc was awarded by University College in 1945. From 1937
to 1945, he was on the staff of University College London, though on
leave beginning in 1940 when he entered the British Army. In 1941, he
was assigned to Rothamstead Experimental Station to work on crop pollination,
and from 1942 to 1945 he worked on military research projects in the
British Ministry of Supply.
Fabergé received his British
citizenship in 1936. In 1945, he immigrated to the United States, eventually
receiving his U.S. citizenship in 1953. His first appointment in the
U.S. was as a research associate in the Department of Botany, the University
of Wisconsin, working with Leonard Huskins. In 1947, he was awarded
a Guggenheim Fellowship, which he turned down in order to accept an
offer as associate professor at the University of Missouri (Columbus).
He resigned from this position in 1955, subsequently accepting a research
position in the Genetics Foundation at UT Austin, where he also taught
the course in evolution for a number of years. At the time of his retirement
in 1982, he was a lecturer in the zoology department.
Fabergé's early scientific
studies dealt with chromosome mechanics and the physiological effects
of chromosomal imbalance. In 1940, he published the first of a series
of papers on mutations induced in Tradescantia and other plants
by x-rays and ultraviolet radiation. These earlier studies were based
on optical microscopy. Eventually he switched to electron microscopy
as a primary tool and became quite expert in that field. He especially
contributed to the development of the use of replica processes in electron
microscopy. These depend only on the form of the target and not the
composition. Thus they are useful in analyzing structures that would
ordinarily not be amenable to electron microscopy. At the time of his
death, Fabergé was working on a method to visualize DNA molecules.
Fabergé was a perfectionist,
and this was probably why he did not make as great an impact on his
chosen fields as might have been expected of a man with so many talents.
For example, in the famous Christmas tree demonstration of the synthesis
of ribosomal RNA from DNA, he was disturbed by the paucity of trees
in a typical preparation. Therefore, he argued, they might be artifacts.
With much effort, he eventually convinced himself that the observations
were valid, but by that time the field had moved on to other issues.
Fabergé was well grounded in
materials and in electronics, unusual for one whose formal training
was in genetic analysis and statistics. He was clever in applying this
knowledge to invent gadgets and to modify electronic equipment to solve
some problem that faced him. Among his publications are a number that
reflect his cleverness in finding simple solutions to practical problems:
an electrically-heated needle for paraffin embedding (1936), a simple
torsion balance (1938), apparatus for recording the number of bees leaving
and entering a hive (1942), measuring the thickness of very thin microtome
sections (1949), a pump and metering device for filling vials (1957),
polishing laps out of teflon (1968), and improvements in the fabrication
of thin foil apertures for electron microscopy (1987). He expressed
disdain for those persons who could not repair their own (pre-electronic)
watches.
Fabergé was a brilliant eccentric.
Everyone who knew him has a favorite story to illustrate his eccentricity.
Most stories have to do with his habit, when alone, of carrying out
loud conversations with himself. Mostly he appeared to berate himself
for having done something incredibly stupid, expressed in whatever language
best matched the occasion. He was somewhat reclusive, though this was
probably due to shyness. In fact, he was an acute observer of those
around him.
Fabergé was a person of strong
beliefs and rigid principles. This is best illustrated by his 1955 resignation
from a tenured position at the University of Missouri. In response to
promotion of someone whom Fabergé considered incompetent, he
wrote to the president, I can only conclude that [the university] is
deliberately seeking, in the field of genetics, a quite unique combination
of stupidity and ignorance. These elements I feel quite unable to provide,
and have no choice but to resign. In 1953, he resigned from the American
Association for the Advancement of Science because he believed it improper
for a scientific organization to take stands on political issues. In
1969, he resigned from the Genetics Society of America because the membership
had adopted a resolution urging persons who had traveled abroad not
to respond to questions that might be put to them by the CIA.
Given his early history, it is not
surprising perhaps that Fabergé was staunchly anticommunist.
He supported politically conservative causes, both with money and with
letters to editors. He generated a considerable file of correspondence
with The National Review and with its editor, William F. Buckley,
Jr., as well as with the Wall Street Journal. Many exchanges
dealt with errors of fact or analysis that Fabergé encountered
in these publications.
Fabergé was a lifelong avid
mountain climber. He liked classical music and attended many of the
performances on campus. He was widely read, preferring in general the
original language. He had a sharp, sometimes wicked sense of humor,
generally not visible except to those who knew him well.
Fabergé was one of those persons
of whom there are too few, even on university campuses. He followed
his own path, ignoring diversions presented by others. He set his own
agenda. Even in a culture that champions diversity, that is a rare talent.
<signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
This memorial resolution was prepared by a special committee
consisting of Professors H. Eldon Sutton (chair), Hugh S. Forrest,
and Robert P. Wagner.
A Copy of the list of publications is available on request from
the Office of the General Faculty, FAC 22, F9500.
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