News > October 18, 2007

By Lauren Wright | Contributing writer

The recent death of former professor Mordecai Jaffe is the cause for reflection on his many accomplishments. Jaffe, a retired Babcock Professor of botany from 1980-1998, was an influential figure within his field of study. “He was a caring colleague and supportive mentor,” said Gloria Muday, professor of biology. “He was dedicated to plant biology and really worked to increase the growth of research and teaching in plant biology at WFU.”

Jaffe was intrigued by plant growth, retiring in Ithaca, N.Y., with his wife Amy to continue to do lab research with long time friend Carl Leopold. Perhaps his most sustained interest, “thigmotropism,” was the inspiration of numerous articles that are still cited today. Jaffe’s enthusiasm for plant growth shaped the academic careers of many biology students at the university. His articles on thigmotropism, gravitropism and other aspects of plant growth were regularly published by journals such as the American Society of Plant Biologists, The Quarterly Review of Biology and Plant and Cell Physiology.

Every day, Jaffe devotedly worked toward a more complete understanding of plant development, designing equipment that would allow him to measure a plant’s response to various physical forces such as gravity and wind. His work with Computer-Assisted Image Analysis has been particularly salient in the field of thigmomorphogenesis.

Jaffe was also a devoted university parent. He had a significant impact on the biology department, contributing to several specific areas of research study while trying to obtain more resources for plant research at the university. He is remembered today for a dedication to his family, students, faculty and his love for science.