Obituary

George A. Schaefers, professor emeritus of entomology at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, died March 28 in Sarasota, Fla. He was 72.

"Even though he was retired, this is still a terrible loss to his many friends and scientific colleagues around the world," said Wendell Roelofs, chair of the Department of Entomology at the Geneva Station. "Not only did George contribute heavily to the literature on dealing with insects that attack small fruits in New York and the northeastern United States, but he was a major figure on the international agricultural scene. His most recent assignment had been with the Consortium for International Crop Protection [CICP] where he served as its director from 1993 to the end of 1998. He actually worked closely with CICP for almost 20 years before becoming its director. During that period, he made frequent trips abroad, especially to developing countries to assist them in developing reasonable and responsible crop protection programs against insects and diseases."

Schaefers came to the Geneva Station in 1958 as an assistant professor of entomology after being awarded his doctorate degree from the University of California-Berkeley. He was considered an expert on aphids as vectors of plant diseases.

He was promoted to associate professor in 1962 and to full professor in 1973.

In 1974, he went on a sabbatical leave for a year to work at the Nigerian International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. His work with international agricultural organizations such as CICP and AID took him to such countries as Puerto Rico, Nigeria, Colombia, Zaire, Tunisia and Senegal.

In 1983, Schaefers became chair of the department of entomology and remained in that position until 1991. After stepping down as chair, he was awarded a one-year Rockefeller Foundation Environmental Research Fellowship in international agriculture. He went to sub-Saharan East Africa and studied traditional crop protection among small farmers. He retired with the rank of professor emeritus in 1993.

Schaefers also was well known in the Geneva community. He was a member of Trinity Church, the Seneca Yacht Club, the Rotary Club of Geneva and the Finger Lakes Forum.

He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and three children: Cheryl Lynn Greene, Stephanie Gwen and Richard Kent.

A memorial service will be held in the future in Geneva at Trinity Church. The family requests that contributions be made to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.