Allen G. "Jerry" Marr

1920 - 2008

Allen G. "Jerry" Marr, professor emeritus of bacteriology at the UC Davis, who served as dean of graduate studies and research at the university for 20 years, died Jan. 7 of cancer. He was 78.

"Jerry oversaw with distinction two major campus offices, Graduate Studies and Research, for two decades," said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "He was, as well, the campus's first guiding light in the areas of computing and information technology, long before they became such an important part of our day-to-day operations."

Marr was born in Tulsa, Okla., in 1929. When he was 8, the family moved to the country and Marr grew up on a small farm on the Osage Indian Reservation, attending a one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade. Marr studied bacteriology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, earning a bachelor's degree in 1948 and a master's degree in 1949. He then went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was awarded his doctorate in 1952. He joined the faculty at UC Davis as an instructor in bacteriology immediately after that.

In July 1969, Marr, by then a full professor and chair of the Department of Bacteriology, was appointed as dean of the Division of Graduate Studies. On Marr's retirement, the Office of Graduate Studies established the Allen G. Marr Prize, which is awarded annually to a graduate student for dissertation excellence.

Marr was a member of the American Society for Microbiology and scientific honor societies Sigma Xi, Phi Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa. He was also a member of the American Civil Liberties Union and was active in the Yolo County Democratic Party.

He is survived by his wife, Kathryn, six children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Services: At Marr's request, no services will be held.