Update: We have learned that Brian Larkins passed away on Sunday, January 17 at the age of 78. We will keep the Comments section of this Blog open, and you are (still) welcome to share your recollections and thoughts of Brian here. Although he will no longer be reading them, there’s inherent value in collecting memories of Brian, and they may bring some small measure of comfort to his family and loved ones. We know that Brian appreciated the sentiments that appear in the initial Blog post and in the Comments that were added in the days before he passed. You may also/instead post comments here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tucson-az/brian-larkins-12206702.
We will endeavor to update the community as we receive further information regarding ways in which we might celebrate Brian’s life and contributions.
Original post (January 14, 2025)
Brian Larkins, a career-long ASPP/ASPB member and former Society president, Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell, architect of our Centennial fundraising successes, and editor of the recently published update to ASPB’s history, let us know last week that he was suffering from an incurable blood disease and had decided to enter hospice care.
Amidst our grief at this devastating news, we were struck by the courage and dignity with which Brian is facing his challenges, and we asked ourselves, after all that Brian has given to and done for ASPP/ASPB and each of us, what could we do for him while he is still with us?
And so to this blog. We wanted Brian, whose contributions go well beyond ASPB to include ground-breaking work on seed biology that helped to launch the molecular biology era, to know how much he is appreciated by so many people in the plant science community by sharing with him here our own recollections and reflections (and pictures) on the ways in which he has impacted our own professional and/or personal lives.
We are getting started here with comments from some of the folk whom Brian contacted directly after he made his decision. However, we very much hope that many others will feel moved to share their own thoughts with Brian and the rest of us by posting to the Comments section at the bottom of this Blog. (Please be careful to fill out all required fields and note that comments undergo manual review, so won’t appear right away.)
Brian: We hope you will find a little solace in the words and pictures on this page, and we wish you peace on your journey.
David Marks, University of Minnesota
Brian has touched the lives of many. Especially, the students and postdocs who worked with him during his long career. I am lucky to be one of them.
I still remember the day I met Brian in 1980. I had recently completed an MS degree in molecular virology so I knew my way around a research lab. However, lacking in me at the time was a drive and purpose for doing research. In that first meeting Brian sat down with me and pulled out a maize kernel cut in half and explained that the glossy yellowish half of the seed was the endosperm and that it was highly enriched in zein type proteins that had the special property of being alcohol soluble. He went on to say that while in theory maize could feed the world, presently it was not the case, as zein protein was antinutrietial because it lacked sufficient levels of the essential amino acid lysine. He went on to pull out another kernel of a variety called opaque2. The key was that this variety contained reduced levels of zein and, consequentially, a higher lysine content. I think he might have paused to see If I understood the significance. In the end, I took that lesson to heart and worked the next four years to better understand the difference between wild-type and opaque2 maize. Thus, I owe Brian for starting me on a long career path in plant science grounded in working on problems that have potential to make plants better for humans. While all our days are numbered, Brian’s influence on the plant research world and governing bodies will live on well into the future.
Eliot Herman and Monica Schmidt, University of Arizona
I was in Israel, at the time I was a visiting scientist working with Gadi Galili who before becoming a Weizmann professor did a postdoc with Brian. Gadi was co-organizer of a seed meeting and this brought many investigators to Israel for the conference. There were trips for the meeting but for a group of Gadi’s colleagues there were some additional trips to see sights, Brian mentioned to me that his father was religious and mentioned the places that Jesus walked. So I took him to one such place that is the now sealed Huldah gates into the Temple, that lies ruined after the Roman’s destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. The gates and the stairs to the gates still exist, so I had Brian stand in front of the gates into the Temple so he would have his photo. (Photo credit: Eliot Herman)
Monica and I are shocked and distressed at this news. You and I have worked on seeds and seed biotechnology since its inception and our collaborative research was some of my best and most interesting. Our seed review in The Plant Cell is still being cited now over 25 years later. You have been influential and supportive in my career, ultimately bringing me to University of Arizona as a professor and your hire of Monica gave her an academic career. Last evening I was telling Monica some of my stories with you, from exploring Israel together in the seed meeting Gadi Galili organized, to our dim sum outing in Vancouver during an ASPP meeting. I told her stories about the excitement we shared on first sequencing of plant cDNAs and the transformation of plants now more than 35 years ago as part of the agricultural biotechnology revolution. The work you pioneered has been influential in the lab, as a department head producing one of the most prominent Plant Sciences units in the world, with ASPP and the National Academy, for people you have hired and mentored, so many being among the most successful and impactful plant scientists. Your own success has had a chain reaction and produced many other successful individuals and works.
Monica and I are grateful that we have known you, and that you have been such an important part of our lives.
I am going to hold out hope that your doctors will find some other approach to help you continue to be part of all of our lives.
Nancy Winchester, former Publications Director, ASPB
Dear Brian,
Your news made me so sad, but I’m hoping you beat the odds and stick around awhile! I’m holding you close in my heart. I wish life could be easy, but it never is. Thank you for your friendship and support over my two decades with ASPB. You were definitely one of the fun ones. 😊
Safe travels. ♥️
Robert L. (Rob) Last, Michigan State University
Dear friend Brian,
It is so devastating to hear this news. The earth is and will continue to be a much better place thanks to you walking it. Our community was transformed by your intellect, energy, and humor. Thank you for friendship, counsel, and support over the decades. I hope that you have comfort and some joy in the presence of loved ones during your remaining time.
With love and respect.
Alesandro (Sandro) Vitale, former Ed Board Member, The Plant Cell
The first day I joined CNR as a young fellow in autumn 1978, Angelo Viotti gave me your August 1978 PP paper Synthesis and Deposition of Zein in Protein Bodies of Maize Endosperm. Since then, I have been following your work with great admiration and interest until now. More than this, by meeting you in person many times I have learned how friendly, open and interested in others’ work you are, and that you are a good man. I think the last time I have seen you in person was at the ASPB meeting in Austin, but after that I have also met you online on the occasion of the beautiful surprise of being elected as a Pioneer member of ASPB almost three years ago. I now regret I didn’t have more talks with you, but this is how life goes: regrets and regrets. You are and will always be one of the few bright stars of my life as a biologist.
Take care as much as you can.
ASPB Staff who worked closely with Brian on The Plant Cell during the 1990s
Dear Brian,
We are so honored to have shared some of the most significant years of our publications careers working with you in the early days of The Plant Cell. Your scientific leadership, business ability and talent for bringing people together helped to set the stage for a journal that has remained outstanding in its field. We appreciate your intelligence, kindness, and friendship and will always remember you as a leader in the field of plant biology.
Kent Chapman, University of North Texas and current ASPB President-Elect
Brian, I am so sorry to hear this. Just stopped me in my tracks yesterday when I read your email. I kept thinking how I’d just seen you in Hawaii in June, and couldn’t imagine I was reading that you’d entered hospice. Thank you for sharing this difficult news- you continue to teach us how to act with grace even at these final stages. The outpouring of messages was heartwarming and should comfort you to know that we’ll keep up your legacy of selfless service and mentorship to the plant biology community. One of the greatest benefits of our profession is that we get to meet incredibly talented people like you who become great friends. Thank you for sharing your many talents, scientific and otherwise, and for letting me call you my friend. Hoping for peace for you and your family in this very difficult time.
Hong Ma, Pennsylvania State University and current ASPB President
Dear Brian, thank you so much for your life-long contributions to ASPB and to the plant biology community. Your pioneering research on seed biology has been an inspiration to many of us, and your leadership and mentorship has impacted so many plant biologists. Personally, your support and guidance have helped me as an author for manuscripts for The Plant Cell and as a reviewer and editor for the ASPB journals. These have been greatly beneficial for my career as a plant biologist. More recently, I very much appreciate your wisdom and insights on my service to ASPB as part of the leadership team, particularly on your advice in recognizing and honoring long-term supporters and contributors to ASPB and plant biology. I am thinking of you and hope these words from a colleague will be helpful in a small way.
Gloria Coruzzi, New York University
L-R: Joe and Gail Ecker, Gloria Coruzzi, Brian Larkins at a NATO-ASI Course on Plant Molecular Biology, Mallorca, Spain (1993)
Dear Brian, I am rooting for you. You have been a guiding force not only for ASPB – at all levels – but especially in the Pioneer Awards, which will ensure ASPBs legacy. You have also been a guiding force for many people on a personal level. You and I always joked that you are responsible for my son Aidan, as you encouraged me to balance my devotion to my science with motherhood. I cherish that memory and all your advice and kindness to me over the years. Like Jen, I am on “Team Brian” and praying for a miracle. Don’t forget that Jimmy Carter was in “hospice” for more than two years! I pray you will beat his record. I send my love and hugs.
With much fondness – Gloria
Judy Callis, UC Davis
Brian,
You are the embodiment of all that is good about ASPB and plant sciences. It has truly been a privilege to work with you – your integrity and honor always come shining through. Thank you for all your support both personal (from when I was a post-doc, I think!) and broadly of plant sciences.
Your unflagging support of and work for ASPB has truly been remarkable.
Natasha Raikhel, UC Riverside
Dear Brian,
I was deeply saddened to hear this news, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It’s incredibly brave of you to share your condition and the doctor’s predictions; I truly admire your strength. It’s so true that you’ve always been at the heart of ASPB —serving as Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell, serving as President of our society, and starting the Pioneers program, to name just a few. Your contributions have shaped the field, and you will always remain an integral part of it. You are loved and respected by so many, and I’m sure I speak for many when I say we are all deeply grateful for both the visible and the quiet ways you’ve made a difference. Thank you, dear friend. I truly hope that the predictions you’ve received are not as drastic as they seem, and I look forward to the opportunity to see you again. Above all, my hope is that you’re not experiencing pain or suffering.
Thinking of you and wishing you all the best.
Ralph Quatrano, Washington University in St. Louis
Ralph Quatrano, Debby Delmer, and Brian Larkins outside Brian’s house in Tucson during a planning session for ASPB’s Legacy Society Leadership Committee.
Brian,
Oh no! Tell me it ain’t so!!!! I cannot believe you will leave us so early. You have made yourself quite a legacy given the tremendous amount of time and effort you have given to ASPB. You and I have become even closer than when we were with The Plant Cell for 15 years. And, to top it off with our trip to Norway!
I do not know what else to say other than I will miss you and thank you.
I hope to talk with you soon!
Your good friend.
Julia Bailey-Serres, UC Riverside
Dear Brian,
Your open sharing of an anticipated departure rocked my soul. I am grateful to have the opportunity to express my deep appreciation of your decades of research and good deeds.
Thank you for your infinite dedication to the community of plant biologists. Thank you for setting the premier example of dedication to APSB, from editor-in-chief to endowment builder. Thank you for cultivating the longevity and brilliance of our community. You have passed a bright torch.
Also, thank you for your mentorship for over 30 years. I remain inspired by your insightful foundational research on maize endosperm biology, from the zeins and OPAQUE 2, to polyribosomes tangled in cytoskeleton and the moonlighting of eIF1A.
With enduring fond memories,
Julia
Alan Kriz, Bayer Crop Science (Ret.)
I was a postdoc with Brian in the mid-1980s at Purdue. I owe him a lot. I first met him when he came to give a seminar at Indiana when I was a grad student. I introduced myself and he asked to see some of the stuff I was working on, which was focused on characterization of maize embryo storage proteins. I showed him one of my projects and he said, “Let me know if you ever want a postdoc.” A year later I called him and he said, “When can you start?” After a couple years in his lab I interviewed for a faculty position at Illinois and I bombed the interview; my wife had just experienced a health issue and I was simply out of sorts. The department head called Brian and asked why the hell he had recommended me. Larkins said, “He’s the guy you want, give him another chance.” So they took that second chance, I had a good interview, and was offered the job that same day. No telling what path my career would have taken without him.
29 thoughts on “Remembering Brian Larkins”
As we share with the world and Brian the impact he has had on our lives I am happy to say that I know this has had a positive effect on Brian. We all truly love and will miss Brian. I hope he won’t mind but here is the last email he sent to me.
That would be fine; I’m on my way out, but my heart has been touched by so many people. I never knew there were so many people who knew me and cared so much. I feel like Lou Gehrig- the luckiest man in the world.
Thanks David
I was shocked to find out the news of your illness from David Marks, which was confirmed in more detail when I contacted you. It was the more shocking given that I have known you from the very earliest days of your work on zeins, polyribosomes, and so forth driving the rapid expansion of the field of plant molecular biology. I think we first met in person in the late 70’s at a PMB meeting in College Park, Maryland, an ironic location since I have come full circle by retirement to Maryland! Of course, I had already heard about you via Eric Davies when I joined the School of Life Sciences at UN-L in 1978, but after you left for Purdue. A quick “retraining” NSF-sponsored sabbatical in your lab in West Lafayette from August to December of 1981 introduced me to the many excellent scientists in your lab at that time, and opened my eyes to the practical possibilities offered by manipulation of nucleic acids. You were always generous in your support, encouraging in your interactions, and supportive of future directions in this area. Our interactions developed in depth and scope together at the University of Arizona, and your skills and vision led to the establishment of the UA as a leader in the plant molecular sciences. When I needed advice, particularly as to whom to contact regarding specific problems in plant molecular biology, your suggestions were always very helpful and productive. At the personal level, you were always there to offer support whenever I found myself or my family in need.
Thank you for the privilege of knowing you as a friend and colleague over your truly remarkable career.
Dear Brian, Thank you for your dedication to plant science, ASPB, and The Plant Cell. You continued to influence TPC and PP long after your time as Plant Cell EiC – most recently by providing the initial idea and motivation for the compendium of review articles on big topics in plant biology, a collection of 28 review articles in the May issues of both journals (17 in TPC and 11 in PP). I hope that you are with us for a while longer despite the prognosis, and wish you peace on your final journey.
Nan
Dear Brian,
Your legacy on many aspects of ASPB will shine for many many years to come. Thank you for your mentorship and leadership on ASPB activities and your “can do” approach of keeping it simple while moving straight forward.
Oh Dear Brian! You have done so many remarkable things and always with such grace and kindness and spirit of love and forgiveness. Your achievements in science led to NAS membership, and your incredible efforts on behalf of ASPB will be remembered and praised for a long time to come. I feel so lucky to have had you for a friend, and especially cherish the time you, Ralph, and I had plotting the Centennial Challenge for ASPB.
They say your soul never dies until the last person on earth who remembers you dies. From that, you will live on for decades and decades and maybe even centuries. But I’ve been thinking of death and what will happen to my soul for some time now, and I have another theory—-it will leave your body upon death and be swept into the vast universe until it floats around happily until it finds a new body in which to dwell. And so I wish for you and your soul a very happy and rewarding journey onward to your next round of adventures.
As I shared with you on the phone, Geraldine and I hated to hear the news from you and Artie. After reading the comments by many of the other scientists I think I can say we go back the furtherest as I was on your PhD committee at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I know you also played a big part in my election to the National Academy of Sciences, for which I am very greatful. This led to the wonderful memories that my wife and I have of out times together at the annual NAS meetings. One of my fond memories of you is that a few years ago, you told me that you still remember one of the questions I asked you on your PhD final exam “What is poly A doing”? This was around the time that it was first discovered attached to mRNAs.
It was a punch in the gut to learn this morning of your severe illness, but I am grateful for this chance to express my thanks for the many times you have helped me and offered sound advice. That goes back 45 years, starting when I arrived at Purdue in 1980 to begin graduate school. The great course you taught, and your pioneering work on zein genes, played a large role in steering me to become part of the energetic plant molecular biology community that was emerging on campus. As a member of my thesis committee, I could always count on you to ask tough questions that made me think more deeply about the patatin genes I was sequencing and studying. And when Bill Park decided to move to Texas A&M, it was an honor to have you become my co-thesis advisor so that I could complete my PhD studies as a Purdue student. I have always been grateful for that. And grateful, too, for your advice at other important junctures in my career, including when I was considering the opportunity to move to Indiana University in 2009. Your leadership skills have been an inspiration – at ASPB, at U. Arizona, at U. Nebraska and at the National Academy of Sciences. I have been looking forward to joining the Larkin lab reunion on the occasion of your 80th birthday, next year, and am holding out hope that the celebration will still take place, with you leading the festivities. But today I will raise a glass to you, as a personal hero and multi-talented leader. Take care, my friend!
I was very saddened to hear this news. I want to thank you for hosting me for a visit to your lab in Tucson nearly two decades ago. I still remember when you picked me up from the airport and how I immediately spotted your car in the parking lot because the license plate said “Zein”! Thank you for being an extraordinary role model in science and for inspiring me to pursue my research in improving the nutritional quality of staple food crops. You are, and will always be, greatly missed!
I have known Brian for almost 45 years, and have greatly appreciated his friendship for all of that time. It was with the encouragement of Brian and Stan Gelvin that I decided to join the faculty at Purdue in 1983. And it was Brian that gave me some excellent early advice that I should quit trying to be an Institute, and rather concentrate on being a focused scientist. From those early days, Brian has always been someone I could count on for sound advice, scientific or organizational, in trying to move the plant research enterprise forward. We will not see Brian’s equal, and can only hope that he understands how much we have valued him and will miss him.
Brian was very much responsible for me getting my job 44 years ago at Purdue University, and for supporting me as a young Assistant Professor and beyond. I have always enjoyed my interactions with him, and am very sorry to hear of his illness. I will truly miss you. Thank you so much for all you have done for me personally, and for Plant Biology in general.
Dear Brian,
I am so sorry to hear of your health issues….and want to express once again my gratitude for the wonderful support you provided to UBRP students and to me over the years…..
I will never forget those amazing bike trips we took around southern Arizona back when you and David were so into biking….
You leave an impressive and warm legacy both professionally and personally. A example to us all.
Our scientific paths didn’t cross that much, but you have left an indelible impression on me and, I’m sure, on all with whom you have interacted. Your science was wonderful, of course, but what impressed me most was your ability to actually get things done (so rare in these times). ASPB, and the scientific community at large, owe you a huge dept of gratitude. When I retired last year it took me a while to reconcile with no longer contributing to research and to just being happy with what I had achieved during my active career. In your case, you can be sure that your achievements, and the example you set for all of us, will live on in the memories of the countless people you inspired.
Dear Brian:
It has been a pleasure getting to know you during your time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and after you left. I am sorry to hear the sad news, but you have indelibly impacted the plant science community! I admire your dedication to research, teaching, and the Plant Biology Society. We are indebted to you for your many years of tireless work on our behalf. Your efforts to recognize others in plant science and develop a historical record of key contributors is a fantastic legacy, not to mention your research and leadership at many levels throughout your career. A heartfelt thanks for all you have done and achieved over the years. You will be greatly missed!
Anna and I feel lucky to have crossed path with you during our time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We will never forget your kindness, advice, and reassuring words when as junior investigators we felt quite insecure about our prospect of succeeding as a dual-career couple. I owe it to you that I did not give up plant research.
Dear Bryan, I was so sorry to learn of your journey leading to, as my minister says, your passing from this life to more life. You have lived a full life that will be ending much too soon. Your research has had a tremendous influence on the development so many plant physiology researchers, including me. I began my study of maize endosperm development and starch biosynthesis at Purdue in 1962 as an adjunct assistant professor with USDA. In 1971 I moved to Penn State where I continued that research until my retirement in 1999. Your research publications and insights had more influence on my career than than you will ever know and I thank you for that. You will be missed by all of us in the plant biology community.
Dear Brian,
We have known each other for more than four decades. You were young faculty member at Purdue. I was a young post-doc with Oliver Nelson in UW Wisconsin. We probably met at the then annal Maize meeting in Illinois. Your work on the storage proteins of maize kernel was impressive!
I visited Purdue for a few weeks to try Neils Neilson’s LPLC to purify the UFGT (BZ) enzyme from maize aleurone. You may have asked me to a research presentation to your lab group. During my visit, you did something that was helpful to me—you asked to review either a manuscript or a grant proposal. To become a successful scientist, it is important to learn how to write good manuscripts and proposals. Becoming a reviewer is a good stepping stone to become a better writer of both papers and research proposals. These were skills I needed to develop if I was to gain a job as a faculty member and secure tenure. Thank you for the opportunity you gave me and tacit mentoring!
I am glad I had other opportunities to work with you and more recently to spend some time with you and Artie in Honolulu last June. I admire all you have done for your students, for ASPB, for Plant Science, and much more.
I am sorry to have to say goodbye. Go gently, my friend!
Anita Klein, Assoc. Professor, Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire
Dear Brian
I am much saddened that your good health has been taken away so rapidly and unexpectedly. You have been a true inspiration and the catalyst for so many successful careers. Your positive and creative attitude in science and life has been the embodiment of the Chinese proverb made popular by Eleanor Roosevelt and others, ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness’. My family owe you so much and I have been blessed to have had much of my own career inspired by the work we did in Tucson. Thank you for believing in and nurturing me.
Love, David, Claudia, Natalie and Amanda
We have known each other and worked with each other for a very long time. I was always impressed by your dedication to plant science, and ASPB. I will miss working with you on the Pioneers and other projects and seeing you at meetings, but I am very glad I got to know you.
Such a devastating piece of news and you are dealing with it with such grace and fortitude. Our thoughts are very much with you. As has been said by many, your contributions to plant biology at all levels — as a researcher, teacher, administrator, mentor, fundraiser and friend to many — have been immense.
On a very personal note, it was special to work with you during the Agrigenetics years. We shared so many wonderful times from that very first meeting in Scottsdale. You were such fun to be with, and you helped form the whole research program which really gave plant molecular biology a huge boost in those very early pioneering days. So many very happy discussions over so many happy dinners and so many happy drinks too!
The memories of those Agrigenetics days inspired us to write them down during lockdown. You helped us form those memories into a book and your input into the details of exactly what happened has been invaluable. Yours was an incredibly detailed memory of those events, especially when ours were a bit hazy.
We are forever grateful for your input into the manuscript through our zoom meetings and through your reading and annotating drafts of different chapters. The book, titled “Seeds, Genes and Deals’ is now complete and will be published later this year by Amplify Publishing Group. We hope you will be with us when it comes out.
Brian, I am saddened to hear of your health status. I remember fondly the times we interacted. The collaboration we had while I was at Pioneer was both satisfying and productive. I always appreciated your good humor, knowledge and guidance. You introduced me and my wife, Karen, to life in beautifu Tucson. We admired your enormous lemon tree and loved the big bag of lemons (I think we’re still eating some.) We never say thank you enough, but know that there are many who thought that along the way.
As Ralph Q wrote – SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!! To say that the news of your illness hit like a ton of bricks is an understatement; it has saddened your friends and colleagues to a person. I trust that what is immediately ahead for you is softened as much as possible.
When we met in the mid-1970s at the very early meetings of plant biologists whose research focused on sub-cellular biology and biochemistry, many of whom became biotechnologists, the numbers of attendees were small, and the places that we met were unique and enriched us all. Meetings where seed storage proteins, their mRNAs, and genes, and promoters thereof, were the stuff of excitement and we were certain the field of science and participants would surely grow. And so they did as the Gordon Conferences took up the topic. How far the field has come in the past 50 years, in large part because of the part that you played in it. As the field matured and the ASPB became a voice for the larger field you were amongst those brought leadership to it – we all owe you our gratitude for your efforts on behalf of the scientific field as well as the association that encompasses it.
And thank you, too, for your years of collegiality and friendship in all sorts of settings, and interactions in New Hampshire and Vermont, England, Hawaii, West Layfayette, Tucson, and all points between. You will surely, surely be missed by many. rnb
These posts are a testament to your enduring legacy as a first class plant scientist and human being. I am very sorry to hear of your current situation and hope you persevere through to the end with grace and without suffering.
I will always remember your encouraging words in your capacity as Plant Cell editor when we submitted publications in the 1990s on engineering various maize transcription factors for interesting outcomes such as secondary metabolite production and dominant negative inhibition of one of your favorites Opaque2. Thank you also for allowing your one time student Brian Dilkes to visit Pioneer to mine our EST database for cell cycle genes back in the late 90s. His interests and those of my colleagues in the maize transformation group there eventually led to the development of genotype independent transformation of elite maize inbreds that has accelerated the incorporation of transgenic and gene editing technology into commercial maize germplasm.
Brian remains a shining example, mentor, colleague, and guiding light for all of us whose lives he’s touched. I have always admired his ability to open doors for so many, especially for those who needed support at pivotal moments.
He was a remarkable person and is in all of our thoughts.
I was shocked learn of Brian’s passing. I have known Brian since 2002 when I moved to Arizona. Brian led and helped transform the Plant Science Department at the University of Arizona into one of the leading departments in the country. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by some the best minds and leaders in the world in the fields of plant biology, genome biology and agriculture.
May Brian rest in peace and we will do our best to carry on your legacy at Arizona.
Sad news to hear about Brian’s passing. We initially met through my colleague Andy Jackson. Andy was Brian’s faculty buddy at Purdue after he joined the faculty there. We tried to recruit Brian to UCBerkeley in the 80s without success. I finally succeeded to get him to the University of Nebraska when I was the Director of Biological Sciences. His PhD was earned here with Eric Davies. Brian and I worked together to institute an interdepartmental graduate program when he served as Vice-Chancellor for Life Sciences. My favorite reflections however were on the golf courses here in Lincoln. I recall picking him up for our Saturday group events and trying to teach him to improve his game. We marginally succeeded but enjoyed each others company. I miss those days.
As we share with the world and Brian the impact he has had on our lives I am happy to say that I know this has had a positive effect on Brian. We all truly love and will miss Brian. I hope he won’t mind but here is the last email he sent to me.
That would be fine; I’m on my way out, but my heart has been touched by so many people. I never knew there were so many people who knew me and cared so much. I feel like Lou Gehrig- the luckiest man in the world.
Thanks David
Sent from my iPhone
Dear Brian:
I was shocked to find out the news of your illness from David Marks, which was confirmed in more detail when I contacted you. It was the more shocking given that I have known you from the very earliest days of your work on zeins, polyribosomes, and so forth driving the rapid expansion of the field of plant molecular biology. I think we first met in person in the late 70’s at a PMB meeting in College Park, Maryland, an ironic location since I have come full circle by retirement to Maryland! Of course, I had already heard about you via Eric Davies when I joined the School of Life Sciences at UN-L in 1978, but after you left for Purdue. A quick “retraining” NSF-sponsored sabbatical in your lab in West Lafayette from August to December of 1981 introduced me to the many excellent scientists in your lab at that time, and opened my eyes to the practical possibilities offered by manipulation of nucleic acids. You were always generous in your support, encouraging in your interactions, and supportive of future directions in this area. Our interactions developed in depth and scope together at the University of Arizona, and your skills and vision led to the establishment of the UA as a leader in the plant molecular sciences. When I needed advice, particularly as to whom to contact regarding specific problems in plant molecular biology, your suggestions were always very helpful and productive. At the personal level, you were always there to offer support whenever I found myself or my family in need.
Thank you for the privilege of knowing you as a friend and colleague over your truly remarkable career.
David
Thank you, Brian for being an incredible champion for ASPB and a wonderful role-model for selfless service to Plant Science. Wishing you peace.
Lisa
Dear Brian, Thank you for your dedication to plant science, ASPB, and The Plant Cell. You continued to influence TPC and PP long after your time as Plant Cell EiC – most recently by providing the initial idea and motivation for the compendium of review articles on big topics in plant biology, a collection of 28 review articles in the May issues of both journals (17 in TPC and 11 in PP). I hope that you are with us for a while longer despite the prognosis, and wish you peace on your final journey.
Nan
Dear Brian,
Your legacy on many aspects of ASPB will shine for many many years to come. Thank you for your mentorship and leadership on ASPB activities and your “can do” approach of keeping it simple while moving straight forward.
Best Wishes,
Julian
Oh Dear Brian! You have done so many remarkable things and always with such grace and kindness and spirit of love and forgiveness. Your achievements in science led to NAS membership, and your incredible efforts on behalf of ASPB will be remembered and praised for a long time to come. I feel so lucky to have had you for a friend, and especially cherish the time you, Ralph, and I had plotting the Centennial Challenge for ASPB.
They say your soul never dies until the last person on earth who remembers you dies. From that, you will live on for decades and decades and maybe even centuries. But I’ve been thinking of death and what will happen to my soul for some time now, and I have another theory—-it will leave your body upon death and be swept into the vast universe until it floats around happily until it finds a new body in which to dwell. And so I wish for you and your soul a very happy and rewarding journey onward to your next round of adventures.
You will be so much missed
Dear Brian,
As I shared with you on the phone, Geraldine and I hated to hear the news from you and Artie. After reading the comments by many of the other scientists I think I can say we go back the furtherest as I was on your PhD committee at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I know you also played a big part in my election to the National Academy of Sciences, for which I am very greatful. This led to the wonderful memories that my wife and I have of out times together at the annual NAS meetings. One of my fond memories of you is that a few years ago, you told me that you still remember one of the questions I asked you on your PhD final exam “What is poly A doing”? This was around the time that it was first discovered attached to mRNAs.
Dear Brian,
It was a punch in the gut to learn this morning of your severe illness, but I am grateful for this chance to express my thanks for the many times you have helped me and offered sound advice. That goes back 45 years, starting when I arrived at Purdue in 1980 to begin graduate school. The great course you taught, and your pioneering work on zein genes, played a large role in steering me to become part of the energetic plant molecular biology community that was emerging on campus. As a member of my thesis committee, I could always count on you to ask tough questions that made me think more deeply about the patatin genes I was sequencing and studying. And when Bill Park decided to move to Texas A&M, it was an honor to have you become my co-thesis advisor so that I could complete my PhD studies as a Purdue student. I have always been grateful for that. And grateful, too, for your advice at other important junctures in my career, including when I was considering the opportunity to move to Indiana University in 2009. Your leadership skills have been an inspiration – at ASPB, at U. Arizona, at U. Nebraska and at the National Academy of Sciences. I have been looking forward to joining the Larkin lab reunion on the occasion of your 80th birthday, next year, and am holding out hope that the celebration will still take place, with you leading the festivities. But today I will raise a glass to you, as a personal hero and multi-talented leader. Take care, my friend!
Dear Brian,
I was very saddened to hear this news. I want to thank you for hosting me for a visit to your lab in Tucson nearly two decades ago. I still remember when you picked me up from the airport and how I immediately spotted your car in the parking lot because the license plate said “Zein”! Thank you for being an extraordinary role model in science and for inspiring me to pursue my research in improving the nutritional quality of staple food crops. You are, and will always be, greatly missed!
I have known Brian for almost 45 years, and have greatly appreciated his friendship for all of that time. It was with the encouragement of Brian and Stan Gelvin that I decided to join the faculty at Purdue in 1983. And it was Brian that gave me some excellent early advice that I should quit trying to be an Institute, and rather concentrate on being a focused scientist. From those early days, Brian has always been someone I could count on for sound advice, scientific or organizational, in trying to move the plant research enterprise forward. We will not see Brian’s equal, and can only hope that he understands how much we have valued him and will miss him.
Brian was very much responsible for me getting my job 44 years ago at Purdue University, and for supporting me as a young Assistant Professor and beyond. I have always enjoyed my interactions with him, and am very sorry to hear of his illness. I will truly miss you. Thank you so much for all you have done for me personally, and for Plant Biology in general.
Dear Brian,
I am so sorry to hear of your health issues….and want to express once again my gratitude for the wonderful support you provided to UBRP students and to me over the years…..
I will never forget those amazing bike trips we took around southern Arizona back when you and David were so into biking….
You leave an impressive and warm legacy both professionally and personally. A example to us all.
Dear Brian
Our scientific paths didn’t cross that much, but you have left an indelible impression on me and, I’m sure, on all with whom you have interacted. Your science was wonderful, of course, but what impressed me most was your ability to actually get things done (so rare in these times). ASPB, and the scientific community at large, owe you a huge dept of gratitude. When I retired last year it took me a while to reconcile with no longer contributing to research and to just being happy with what I had achieved during my active career. In your case, you can be sure that your achievements, and the example you set for all of us, will live on in the memories of the countless people you inspired.
Dear Brian:
It has been a pleasure getting to know you during your time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and after you left. I am sorry to hear the sad news, but you have indelibly impacted the plant science community! I admire your dedication to research, teaching, and the Plant Biology Society. We are indebted to you for your many years of tireless work on our behalf. Your efforts to recognize others in plant science and develop a historical record of key contributors is a fantastic legacy, not to mention your research and leadership at many levels throughout your career. A heartfelt thanks for all you have done and achieved over the years. You will be greatly missed!
Dear Brian,
Anna and I feel lucky to have crossed path with you during our time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We will never forget your kindness, advice, and reassuring words when as junior investigators we felt quite insecure about our prospect of succeeding as a dual-career couple. I owe it to you that I did not give up plant research.
Gilles
Dear Bryan, I was so sorry to learn of your journey leading to, as my minister says, your passing from this life to more life. You have lived a full life that will be ending much too soon. Your research has had a tremendous influence on the development so many plant physiology researchers, including me. I began my study of maize endosperm development and starch biosynthesis at Purdue in 1962 as an adjunct assistant professor with USDA. In 1971 I moved to Penn State where I continued that research until my retirement in 1999. Your research publications and insights had more influence on my career than than you will ever know and I thank you for that. You will be missed by all of us in the plant biology community.
Good-bye my dear friend. I will miss you greatly.
Dear Brian,
We have known each other for more than four decades. You were young faculty member at Purdue. I was a young post-doc with Oliver Nelson in UW Wisconsin. We probably met at the then annal Maize meeting in Illinois. Your work on the storage proteins of maize kernel was impressive!
I visited Purdue for a few weeks to try Neils Neilson’s LPLC to purify the UFGT (BZ) enzyme from maize aleurone. You may have asked me to a research presentation to your lab group. During my visit, you did something that was helpful to me—you asked to review either a manuscript or a grant proposal. To become a successful scientist, it is important to learn how to write good manuscripts and proposals. Becoming a reviewer is a good stepping stone to become a better writer of both papers and research proposals. These were skills I needed to develop if I was to gain a job as a faculty member and secure tenure. Thank you for the opportunity you gave me and tacit mentoring!
I am glad I had other opportunities to work with you and more recently to spend some time with you and Artie in Honolulu last June. I admire all you have done for your students, for ASPB, for Plant Science, and much more.
I am sorry to have to say goodbye. Go gently, my friend!
Anita Klein, Assoc. Professor, Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire
Dear Brian
I am much saddened that your good health has been taken away so rapidly and unexpectedly. You have been a true inspiration and the catalyst for so many successful careers. Your positive and creative attitude in science and life has been the embodiment of the Chinese proverb made popular by Eleanor Roosevelt and others, ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness’. My family owe you so much and I have been blessed to have had much of my own career inspired by the work we did in Tucson. Thank you for believing in and nurturing me.
Love, David, Claudia, Natalie and Amanda
Dear Brian,
We have known each other and worked with each other for a very long time. I was always impressed by your dedication to plant science, and ASPB. I will miss working with you on the Pioneers and other projects and seeing you at meetings, but I am very glad I got to know you.
The world was made better by your presence in it,
Shoshana Kronfeld
Dear Brian,
Such a devastating piece of news and you are dealing with it with such grace and fortitude. Our thoughts are very much with you. As has been said by many, your contributions to plant biology at all levels — as a researcher, teacher, administrator, mentor, fundraiser and friend to many — have been immense.
On a very personal note, it was special to work with you during the Agrigenetics years. We shared so many wonderful times from that very first meeting in Scottsdale. You were such fun to be with, and you helped form the whole research program which really gave plant molecular biology a huge boost in those very early pioneering days. So many very happy discussions over so many happy dinners and so many happy drinks too!
The memories of those Agrigenetics days inspired us to write them down during lockdown. You helped us form those memories into a book and your input into the details of exactly what happened has been invaluable. Yours was an incredibly detailed memory of those events, especially when ours were a bit hazy.
We are forever grateful for your input into the manuscript through our zoom meetings and through your reading and annotating drafts of different chapters. The book, titled “Seeds, Genes and Deals’ is now complete and will be published later this year by Amplify Publishing Group. We hope you will be with us when it comes out.
Adrienne Clarke and Janice Kimpel
Brian, I am saddened to hear of your health status. I remember fondly the times we interacted. The collaboration we had while I was at Pioneer was both satisfying and productive. I always appreciated your good humor, knowledge and guidance. You introduced me and my wife, Karen, to life in beautifu Tucson. We admired your enormous lemon tree and loved the big bag of lemons (I think we’re still eating some.) We never say thank you enough, but know that there are many who thought that along the way.
Thank you!
Larry
Dear Brian,
As Ralph Q wrote – SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!! To say that the news of your illness hit like a ton of bricks is an understatement; it has saddened your friends and colleagues to a person. I trust that what is immediately ahead for you is softened as much as possible.
When we met in the mid-1970s at the very early meetings of plant biologists whose research focused on sub-cellular biology and biochemistry, many of whom became biotechnologists, the numbers of attendees were small, and the places that we met were unique and enriched us all. Meetings where seed storage proteins, their mRNAs, and genes, and promoters thereof, were the stuff of excitement and we were certain the field of science and participants would surely grow. And so they did as the Gordon Conferences took up the topic. How far the field has come in the past 50 years, in large part because of the part that you played in it. As the field matured and the ASPB became a voice for the larger field you were amongst those brought leadership to it – we all owe you our gratitude for your efforts on behalf of the scientific field as well as the association that encompasses it.
And thank you, too, for your years of collegiality and friendship in all sorts of settings, and interactions in New Hampshire and Vermont, England, Hawaii, West Layfayette, Tucson, and all points between. You will surely, surely be missed by many. rnb
These posts are a testament to your enduring legacy as a first class plant scientist and human being. I am very sorry to hear of your current situation and hope you persevere through to the end with grace and without suffering.
I will always remember your encouraging words in your capacity as Plant Cell editor when we submitted publications in the 1990s on engineering various maize transcription factors for interesting outcomes such as secondary metabolite production and dominant negative inhibition of one of your favorites Opaque2. Thank you also for allowing your one time student Brian Dilkes to visit Pioneer to mine our EST database for cell cycle genes back in the late 90s. His interests and those of my colleagues in the maize transformation group there eventually led to the development of genotype independent transformation of elite maize inbreds that has accelerated the incorporation of transgenic and gene editing technology into commercial maize germplasm.
Brian remains a shining example, mentor, colleague, and guiding light for all of us whose lives he’s touched. I have always admired his ability to open doors for so many, especially for those who needed support at pivotal moments.
He was a remarkable person and is in all of our thoughts.
Dear Larkin Family & Friends,
I was shocked learn of Brian’s passing. I have known Brian since 2002 when I moved to Arizona. Brian led and helped transform the Plant Science Department at the University of Arizona into one of the leading departments in the country. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by some the best minds and leaders in the world in the fields of plant biology, genome biology and agriculture.
May Brian rest in peace and we will do our best to carry on your legacy at Arizona.
Brian
You were marvelous, and always helpful and the best possible in every way.
Sad news to hear about Brian’s passing. We initially met through my colleague Andy Jackson. Andy was Brian’s faculty buddy at Purdue after he joined the faculty there. We tried to recruit Brian to UCBerkeley in the 80s without success. I finally succeeded to get him to the University of Nebraska when I was the Director of Biological Sciences. His PhD was earned here with Eric Davies. Brian and I worked together to institute an interdepartmental graduate program when he served as Vice-Chancellor for Life Sciences. My favorite reflections however were on the golf courses here in Lincoln. I recall picking him up for our Saturday group events and trying to teach him to improve his game. We marginally succeeded but enjoyed each others company. I miss those days.
Dear Brian, take a breather in peace! You have given more in life to Science, Service, and Humanity!
You will remain with us forever a Presence with Admiration and Gratitude.
Your friend/colleague long ago, Purdue era, Jane