Dr. Helen A. Stafford

Stafford, Dr. Helen A. 88 Oct. 09, 1922 Aug. 12, 2011 Dr. Helen A. Stafford, 88, died Friday, Aug. 12, 2011, at her home in Portland after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The daughter of Ethel S. and Morton O. Stafford, Helen was born Aug. 9, 1922, in Philadelphia, Pa. As a young girl, she dis-covered an interest in plants as she gardened beside her father and she deepened that interest through her studies of plant physiology at Wellesley College. A career in science was not easy for a woman at that time. However, Helen received encouragement from her mentors at Wellesley and Cornell, where she worked as a research assistant, and then at Connecticut College for Women where a master's degree was created for her ground-breaking thesis about the development of anatomical structures and the effect of light in timothy grass seedlings. Her thesis was published in the America Journal of Botany, the first of more than 70 publications over her career. From Connecticut College she went on to the University of Pennsylvania where she earned her doctorate for her discoveries about plant enzymes. Here she overcame the prejudice that nearly prevented her from becoming the first woman allowed to teach male botany students at the university. She next went to University of Chicago as a postdoctoral scholar. Helen's solid record of research, publishing and teaching brought her to Reed College in 1954 as the only biology professor specializing in botany and the only female faculty member in the sciences. She and her biology colleagues worked to integrate classroom teaching with vigorous research by both faculty and students, transforming the department into one the top undergraduate biology programs in the U.S. This type of program allowed Helen to earn grants and fellowships for Reed College from the National Science Association, which she continued to do even after she retired from teaching in 1987. Helen's stature within her field led her to serve as president of the Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA), 1977-78, and as commissioner of the Committee for Undergraduate Education in Biological Sciences, 1968-71. She was a member of the editorial board of Plant Physiology for nearly 30 years and an editor of Recent Advances in Phytochemistry. She published the definitive text, Flavonoid Metabolism. In 2008, the PSNA selected Helen for its Phytochemistry Pioneer Award. In the midst of her immense success as a researcher and writer, Helen never lost sight of her students. One student from the 1960s writes, "I think all of those in my cohort had enormous respect for her as a teacher and scientist, but were also very fond of her as a person. She was not an effusively outgoing person, but she clearly cared: about science, about teaching, and about the students in her charge. She was a terrific role model and I feel very lucky to have had her as advisor, teacher, and friend." This is from a student who made a bet with Helen that if he shaved off his beard, she would ride with him on his motorcycle. He did and she did, an event recorded in the archives of the Reed College newspaper. Helen was a pioneer in many ways, including her work as an advocate for women in the sciences. Declining the role of firebrand, Helen worked tirelessly as a role model and mentor for the next generation of women scientists. Even as she faced the onset of Alzheimer's, Helen continued to exhibit the scientific courage and curiousity she was known for as she strove to understand and cope with what was happening to her with the help of devoted friends and caregivers. A lover of the out of doors and of the dogs who were her constant companions, Helen found a true home in the Pacific Northwest. A frugal person always, she was able to endow the $1 million Morton O. Stafford Jr. Scholarship at Reed in memory of her brother who was killed in World War II. She is survived by her niece, Anne W. Scarff of Amherst Mass. She was predeceased by her parents; brother; and sister, Marie Louise S. Scarff. An open hous e to honor Helen will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sat., Aug. 27, 2011, at her home, 5426 S.E. 45th Ave., Portland. Memorial contributions may be made to the Morton O. Stafford Jr. Scholarship at Reed College.