“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” --George S. Patton, Jr. A great son, brother and friend, an extremely talented musician, an excellent swimmer, an outstanding student and an amazing scientist are some of the qualities that describe Robert. Junior, as his lab mates used to call him, will be thoroughly missed by them. He became a member of the Mathee lab crew less than a year ago and in a limited time he was able to gain everyone’s love and admiration. As a Biology Honors student and winner of a RISE scholarship he soon became an unwearied worker. All he could think about was finishing his research on the alginate gene expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa to be able to write his undergraduate thesis. His plans were to enter the MD-PhD dual program in 2005 and the ones who knew him had no doubt he would have obtained his immediate goal. The Robert James Smiddy Memorial Endowment Fund at Florida International University has been created to acknowledge and perpetuate the life and excelling academic and scientific/research achievements of Junior. The award will be conferred once a a year to the undergraduate student who carries undergraduate research under the Biology Honors Program and who complies with all the requirements established by the RJS Memorial Award Committee. Candidates will be judged not only for the quality of their research and thesis, but also based upon his/her ability to communicate. “Our current total is $26,000 which ensures its perpetuity. In order to trigger the Florida State match as well as to provide a scholarship, we need to raise the fund to $100,000,” said the chair of the RJS Memorial Fund Committee, Melissa Doud. The committee is actively working to raise the required amount of money. We invite all of those who were touched by Robert’s life as well as all of those who are in the scientific community and sponsor good research to contribute to the endowment. Donations in the form of a check can be addressed to: Florida International University Foundation Memo/Ref: Robert J Smiddy Memorial Endowment Fund. Checks can be mailed to Dr. Kalai Mathee, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, University Park, Miami, FL 33199, USA Please visit the website for more information: Robert James Smiddy Memorial Endowment Fund I/We would like to commemorate the life of Robert J. Smiddy and his outstanding scholar and science achievements by making a gift to the Robert James Smiddy Memorial Endowment Fund at Florida International University. I/We hereby pledge the following amount: ○ $10,000 ○ $5,000 ○ $2,500 ○ $1,000 ○ $500 ○ $250 ○ $100 ○Other: ___________. A check made payable to the FIU Foundation/RJS Memorial Endowment Fund is enclosed. Please provide a listing for recognition purposes; Name(s) of Donor ________________________________________________________ Contact Person ___________________________________________________________ Address __________________________Telephone_________________ City, State, Zip_____________________Fax ______________________ __________________________