Honoring Rick Fox’s Three Decades at Lander By Dave Lorenzatti
D
r. Richard Fox, of Greenwood, which is given to a faculty member who retired as professor of biology in 2008 demonstrates exemplary performance as concluding a 31-year career at Lander, a classroom teacher and scholar, and for but his name is permanently engraved service to the university and beyond. not just on the minds of his former His role in education reaches well bestudents and fellow faculty members, yond the Lander campus. He maintains but now also on the laboratory where a website that is viewed regularly by stuhe did most of his teaching. dents and educators in other states and Because of the efforts of faculty, staff around the world. Invertebrate Zoology and students in Lander’s College of Online is a manual containing original Science and Mathematics, Fox’s former anatomical descriptions of at least 112 lab on the second floor of the Science species, the result of over 30 years of Retired Lander biology professor Dr. Richard Fox, center, Building has been named in his honor. holds a plaque dedicating his former teaching lab at Lander research by Fox. in his honor. At left, Mike Runyan, chair of the Department He was invited to campus late last year Fox has also co-authored three books, of Biology; right, Dr. David Slimmer, dean of the College of for the unveiling of the bronze plaque, including the textbook Invertebrate ZoolScience and Mathematics. Photos by Russell Martin. now mounted at the entrance to the ogy and Seashore Animals of the Southeast, lab, whose inscription reads: “The a field guide to marine invertebrates. Richard S. Fox Ecology Laboratory. In recognition of his many con Runyan said Fox’s Internet site and books have given Lander tributions to the field of biology and to the education of hundreds international exposure. For example, he told of conducting an of biologists.” Internet search to find possible course offerings for biology student He said the naming was unexpected and added, “I love it. I am Karen MacPherson, of Simpsonville. She is attending the University very honored.” of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, this spring as part of Biology Department chair Mike Runyan said naming the lab for Lander’s Study Abroad Program. Runyan discovered that CanterFox is an appropriate way to honor him. “He is a great scientist who bury recommended one of Fox’s marine biology textbooks. did a huge amount of work for the university, going out of his way to In addition to his contributions as an educator, Fox provides help students understand concepts and provide them a good learnfinancial assistance to students in the form of a Lander scholarship ing experience,” he added. he created in 2006 in memory of his mother. The Jane Farmer Fox Fox’s specialty is invertebrate zoology and it was one of the many Scholarship is a four-year scholarship awarded to outstanding biolcourses he taught, along with ecology; limnology, the study of ogy majors. inland waters; comparative anatomy and more. Lander’s first ecolo In an interview on the occasion of his retirement, Fox was asked gist, he was instrumental in the establishment of the university’s to cite his greatest satisfaction at Lander. He replied, “Watching and environmental science program. helping very young freshmen develop into intellectually sophisti In 1985, he received Lander’s Distinguished Professor Award, cated young scientists.”
Lander Magazine • Spring 2012
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