Pioneer Member

Salvatore (Sam) Sparace – I think that Tom’s greatest mentoring role for me was to help me definitively define my long term scientific interests and directions in the area of plant biology. Prior to my arrival at the University of Wyoming, I was pretty naïve about graduate studies and possible careers in plant biology. At that time (1975) I knew that I loved plants, enjoyed the outdoors, and was pretty good in science courses. Thus, it made sense for me to apply to a university with a graduate program in botany, but also one located in a part of the country with the promise of backpacking and other outdoor activities. During my first year at UW, I was asked to narrow down my interests (originally specified as a Master’s in “forest botany”), choose a major professor, and to take a handful of courses to round out my background in plant biology. These courses were General Ecology, Plant Taxonomy, Cell Biology and Tom’s Plant Physiology. I discovered that I loved plant physiology, and out of all my instructors, Tom was the only person to talk with me about my interests and encouraged me to work in his lab. During our discussions, he asked me how serious I was about a career in science, and cautioned me that if I really wanted to succeed in this line of science, I should go straight for a Ph.D. and be prepared to do one or two postdoc’s. With his encouragement, I soon after embarked on my studies of mitochondrial lipid biosynthesis and never looked back. Over the years in Tom’s lab, there were many other benefits such as the development of my attention to experimental detail, scientific writing, and the comradery that everyone in Tom’s lab developed together. This included a week-long 50 mile back backing trip with Tom in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, but especially meeting Kathy Kleppinger, whom I later married. Our years at the University of Wyoming working with Tom are truly some of the best years of our lives that we will always look upon fondly.