Irwin Spear died at his home in Austin on March 21, 2002.
He is survived by his wife, Helen, four children, Scott Spear,
Laura Smith, Sona Nast, and Jodie Goldberg, six grand-children,
five step grand-children and sons-in-law Jerome Nast, Michael
Goldberg, and David Bartone. He was preceded in death by
a daughter, Robin Bartone. Dr. Spear was a member of The University
of Texas
at Austin faculty from September 1953 until January 1994.
He remained an active participant in University, community, and
scholarly affairs until his death. Dr. Spear was born on January 4, 1924, in New York City.
During World War II, he served with the U.S. Army Air Corps
from January 1943
until February 1946. While in the army, Dr. Spear and his colleagues
were in the first crew to monitor the development and movement
of a hurricane on radar. Using this medium, they also discovered
the
existence of the strong upper level winds that later became known
as the jet stream. Dr. Spear received a B.S. in botany from Cornell University in
1947. He enrolled as a graduate student at Harvard University,
Cambridge,
Massachusetts, in September 1947, and completed a Ph.D. in biology
in 1953. While a graduate student, he held a Traveling Fellowship
from Harvard University to the Atkins Garden in Cienfuegos, Cuba
during the summer of 1949 to study the eradication of an introduced
weed that had escaped and overrun more than a million acres of
range lands and sugar fields. He also held a Traveling Fellowship
to conduct
research with Professor F. G. Gregory at the Imperial College
of Science and Technology, London, England from August 1950 until
January
1952. Dr. Spear spent his entire faculty life at The University of
Texas at Austin, from September 1953 until his retirement in
January 1994.
At the University, Professor Spear was very active in teaching
and won nine teaching awards during his years of service. His
influence
went far beyond the teaching of undergraduates. He was a member
of the College Board and Educational Testing Service National
Committee
on Biology Advanced Placement for four years. He was a dedicated
educator for summer science training programs and received 25
National Science Foundation grants to run these outstanding programs.
He also
edited many biology textbooks of the day. One publisher commented
upon receiving an extensively edited version that it was too
much work to adhere to his suggestions. Dr. Spear then wrote
back and
asked him to remove his name from the published list of editors
for the series! As he was known to be a strict reviewer of scientific information,
Dr. Spear also was known to be a very demanding taskmaster of
students, but he also gave them generous encouragement to reach
their academic
and intellectual potential. Over the years, he promoted the advancement
of hundreds of bright young students, many of whom had the greatest
respect and admiration for him. He often singled out students
who had difficulties in the first exam of the semester and invited
them
to his home for informal discussions so that he could help them
gain insight and encouragement to do their very best. Following
are excerpts
from typical thank you letters:
I want to thank you for being such a fine teacher, one of the
best that I have had. In addition to expanding my useful knowledge,
your
course made me more aware of the life around me and in me. What you provided to me, and I didn't even realize it at the
time, was a sincere belief that I can be the one to affect the
future within
my sphere of influence. You forced me to defend by beliefs, and
I needed the practice. Thank you for being a part of my life
and teaching
me some very important lessons. I have not [forgotten] and will
not forget you. Somehow I felt the need to check in after a few decades. I always
wanted to tell you (but never took the time) that I appreciate
everything you did for me. You also made me learn to learn. No
one ever before
or since demanded so much from me. There are a few memorable experiences at The University of Texas
that continue to shine on my life and career. The most outstanding
was my exposure as a student to Dr. Irwin Spear, my freshman
Plan II biology professor, and later, my biology advisor within
Plan II.
I mastered the art of taking Dr. Spear's notorious exams and
chose to take all of his offered botany courses that are part
of my science
requirement. Dr. Spear embodies the best qualities of teaching.
As an alumnus, I have continued my support to UT both professionally
and financially and serve actively as a Plan II pre-med mentor
as
well as the ophthalmologist for the UT Women's Athletic Department.
With this perspective, I consider Dr. Spear a real treasure within
the UT system.
Dr. Spear was very active in the development of innovative Plan
II tutorial courses covering biological problems affecting the
future
of man, and human sexuality, as well as a summer workshop for
high school teachers of advance placement biology courses. One
of his
later courses, Botany for Gardeners, was a unique blend of sophisticated
plant physiology concepts intermingled with hands-on experiences
in using these concepts to produce outstanding vegetable gardens
each year. Frequently, the students took their produce home for
the dinner table along with the knowledge of how it was synthesized! Dr. Spear also was very active holding many important university
committee assignments. He was a member of the Faculty Senate
and the University Council in the 1960s and 1970s. He successfully
promoted
the acceptance of biology advanced placement testing at the University
and helped to formulate the biology and botany honors programs
at their inception in the early 1960s. One of his greatest interests
centered around the University's Plan II program. He was an active
member of the Plan II Committee as well as the Plan II Advising
Committee
for many years. Dr. Spear also was named a Plan II Scholar. Outside of the academic community, Dr. Spear was very active
in civic affairs. He was a proud member of the American Civil
Liberties Union
and served until his death on the boards of the West Austin Neighborhood
Group and the Cornell Club of Austin. Above all, Professor Spear was a loving and caring husband and
father. He will be sorely missed by his many friends, family,
colleagues,
and former students.
<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 R. Malcolm Brown, Jr. (chair), Ira Iscoe, and Stan
Roux.
