September 2009
On behalf of the College of Liberal Arts and the biology department of Drew University, it is my honor to invite you to a celebration of the life and career of Joy B. Phillips to be held at Drew on Monday, October 12, 2009. Professor Phillips joined the Zoology faculty in 1952, teaching and mentoring students until her retirement in 1986. Sadly, Joy passed away earlier this year.
The date for our celebration has deliberately been chosen to coincide with two major events on campus: the Drew Summer Science Institute’s (DSSI) research poster session and the College’s annual admissions Science Day. Since Professor Phillips was a great advocate for student research in the sciences, it is fitting that the DSSI poster session, at which our current students will present their summer research, be dedicated to her.
As one of her students, I fondly recall Zoology 13: Vertebrate Form and Function. This was my introduction to the primitive body form and “colored pencils”. To this day when I see red - I think mesoderm; yellow - endoderm. I also remember gathering at her and her husband George’s home for a home-cooked meal and the game of brownie-in-the-wall! George predeceased Joy during my senior year in 1973. Without doubt, Professor Phillips provided for me the defining educational experience which has shaped my entire career. I am forever in her debt.
Although the final details are still being worked out, our celebration will include the mid-afternoon poster session, a late afternoon special lecture in developmental biology, and a buffet dinner for former colleagues, alumni/ae and friends at which time we will share our memories.
Just as Professor Phillips is such an important part of the history of the sciences at Drew, so too, she is a part of its future. Through her estate, the University will receive a very generous major gift which will improve science education for students in the decades ahead.
It would help us in our planning if you could let us know if you will be joining us and what parts of the day you plan to attend. Please contact Blake Putnam, Director of Donor Relations and Special Events at 973-408-3733 or via email at bputnam@drew.edu.
I look forward to seeing you as we remember and pay tribute to an exceptional teacher, colleague, and friend, Joy Phillips.
Sincerely,
Ronald A. Ross
Zoology 1973
Dean of Continuing Education and Career Services
Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management
Celebrating the Life and Career of Joy B. Phillips
Schedule of Events - Monday, October 12, 2009
2:15 p.m. Drew Summer Science Institute Poster Session Mead Hall
Drew science students will present their summer research at a poster session on the first floor of Mead Hall. Our student researchers will explain the methodology and findings of their scientific research conducted through the Drew Summer Science Research Program. Each student researcher, or research team, will present their scientific study on posters which invite informal communication. Approximately 35 students will participate.
Professor Phillips was a strong advocate for student scientific research. Each year, she mentored students in the zoology/biology/psychobiology honors program and in the independent study research course.
4:30 p. m. Developmental Biology Research Lecture Hall of Sciences Rm 4
Drew biology professors Roger Knowles, Stephen Dunaway, and David Miyamoto will speak on their respective research projects, which include Drew student researchers, in the areas of Alzheimer's disease, cell division in cancer patients, and embryonic development.
6:00 p. m. Buffet Dinner for alumni, colleagues and friends Mead Hall
Following the lecture, alumni, colleagues and friends are invited to return to Mead Hall for a buffet dinner and to hear invited speakers recall memories of Professor Phillips. Following the program there will be a time for anyone attending to say a few words. A short power point presentation of photos spanning Professor Phillips’s years at Drew has also been prepared.
If you unable to attend on October 12, please share your memories and thoughts with us. All materials will be added to the Drew University Archive.
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