Dr. James Champoux
In May of 2019 he Honors community lost a wonderful teacher, leader and friend with the passing of Dr. James Champoux, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76.
A longtime professor and former chair of the UW School of Medicine Department of Microbiology, Dr. Champoux inspired students to love what they studied. He was the parent of an Honors student, a graduate of the Honors Program, and a beloved member of our faculty. Champoux was among the first group of UW students to join the University of Washington Honors Program at its inception in 1961, while he was earning his bachelor’s degree in chemistry. His affection for Honors continued long after graduation and he served as a member of the Honors Advisory Board under two program directors, retiring in July of 2018.
Our colleague Paul Ramsey, Dean of the UW School of Medicine, wrote this touching account of Dr. Champoux’s many awards and appointments.
https://honors.uw.edu/news-archive/brief-archived/?id=177
Dr. John C. Sherris
John Sherris lived a long and rich life, passing away in May 2021 at the age of 100. He always tried to make the world a better place, whether it was through his contributions to the field of microbiology, his thoughtful and empathetic interactions with students and colleagues, and his support of and devotion to his family and friends. As his long-time collaborator Dr. Kenneth J. Ryan said, “John was a man who never pursued a self-serving thought, acting only for the greater good."
John C. Sherris, M.D. - PMC (nih.gov)
Dr. James T. Staley
Dr. James Staley wrote and published Microbial Life and Microbiology Dynamics & Diversity, and served as the Founding Director of the Astrobiology Program from 1998-2005. He became a Bergey’s Manual Trustee in 1976, Chair of Bergey’s Trust in 2000, and retired from the Trust at the mandatory age of 70 in 2008, the same year he received the Bergey Medal. During his chairmanship, he initiated and served as President of Bergey's International Society for Microbial Systematics (BISMiS) from 2009 - May 2011. Jim was a member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) for more than 50 years and received the US Federation of Culture Collections J. Roger Porter Award, from ASM in 2008.
Dr. Staley published his own mini-autobiography in two parts in the 2018 Bulletins of BISMiS - Bergey's International Society for Microbial Systematics.
• Part 1 – Starting on pages 19-32: https://bismis.net/files/BulletinofBISMIS_7-1.pdf
• Part 2- Starting on page 10-21: https://bismis.net/files/BulletinofBISMIS_7-2.pdf