Volume 27 · Number 1 · Fall 2009
In Memoriam
John Dobie, Jim Hance, Clyde Jacobs and Joe Mauk Smith
Dona Lee Brandon, a former music lecturer and organist, died in June in Davis at age 81.
John Dobie, a professor emeritus of biological and agricultural engineering, died in August in Davis. He was 93 and, until recently, was still playing golf. He joined the agricultural engineering department in 1946 and focused his research on processing livestock feed, pelleting hay and cubing alfalfa. He retired in 1980.
Anthony ‘Jim’ Hance, an associate professor of pharmacology at the School of Medicine during 1968–2004, died in July in Davis. He was 76. A native of England, he measured the effects of drugs and chemicals on the brain. He was also an early computer convert and became a pioneer in developing computer hardware and techniques for analyzing the data acquired in studying brain function.
Dale Heien, a professor emeritus of agricultural and resource economics, died in June at age 72. After working for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and as a self-employed economic consultant for 13 years, he began a 24-year academic career, first at San José State and Pennsylvania State universities, then at UC Davis. He was on the faculty for 21 years until his retirement in 2003.
Clyde Jacobs, a professor emeritus of political science, died in June in Davis at age 84. He joined the faculty of the newly formed College of Letters and Science in 1952 and served as founding chair of the political science department during 1960–66. An authority on constitutional law and American government, he authored six books and participated in civic affairs, including serving four years on the Davis City Council in the early 1960s. He retired from the faculty in 1984.
Joe Mauk Smith, a professor emeritus of chemical engineering, died in June at his home in Davis at age 93. He was a founding member of the College of Engineering faculty and the first chair of the department that is now Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. World renowned for his research in reaction kinetics and reactor design, he was elected in 1975 to the National Academy of Engineering. He also received four Fulbright Fellowships and one Guggenheim Fellowship. He and his wife created the Joe and Essie Smith Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering at UC Davis in 1996. More...