Septoria and Stagonospora Diseases of Cereals - CIMMYT ...

In Memoriam, Dr. Zahir Eyal
Our friend and colleague, Professor Zahir Eyal, died Friday, July 30, 1999. Zahir was
intimately involved in all of the International Septoria Workshops, from the first in 1976 held in
Griffin, Georgia, USA, until the fifth, and present, one held in CIMMYT, Mexico. He put forward
his many ideas for program and participants in a forceful, but thoughtful way, and was able to
settle disputes with good humor and a smile. Until the last few days of his life, Dr. Eyal
continued to work on plans for this Septoria/Stagonospora workshop.
After finishing agricultural high school in Israel, Zahir went to the USA, where he earned his
B.Sc. degree from Oklahoma State University and his Ph.D. from Rutgers. This was followed by a
post-doctoral term at Purdue, where he studied with Jack Schafer and the late Ralph Caldwell.
His work on septoria of cereals began when he joined the Department of Botany at Tel Aviv
University in 1967. He developed an integrated program of fundamental and applied research
aimed at minimizing the economic impact of cereal pathogens, particularly Septoria tritici, on
production. He reached out to colleagues in many countries and to international organizations,
most especially CIMMYT, for cooperation. Over the years, Zahir contributed greatly to those
programs. During his tenure at Tel Aviv University, Professor Eyal served two terms as Head of
the Department of Botany (1984-87 and 1992-94).
Professor Eyal was an enthusiastic teacher, well-loved by students, both undergraduate and
graduate. He taught in English or in Hebrew with equal facility, sharing his knowledge and
insights with students and faculty during two sabbaticals at Montana State University and at
several other institutions. The numerous publications he authored with his students and the
important posts those students occupy today attest to the excellence of his teaching abilities.
Zahir’s research and outreach programs incorporated ideas that were new to his country;
they were solidly anchored in basic science and innovative to the end. These programs not only
improved wheat production in Israel but had positive effects on cereal improvement programs
throughout the world. At the time of his death, Professor Eyal was Director of the Institute for
Cereal Crop Improvement at Tel Aviv University, where germplasm of wild ancestors of
cultivated small grains are being preserved, characterized, and utilized in breeding improved
cultivars.
Dr. Eyal’s contributions to research, teaching, university administration, and international
agriculture are many and far reaching. He received the Hazera Seed Co. Melamed Award in 1968,
the A.C. Cohen Award in 1978, and in 1995 was made a Fellow of the American
Phytopathological Society. Professor Eyal served as President of the Israeli Phytopathological
Society from 1979 to 1982. He will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by his multitude of
friends, colleagues, and students throughout the world.
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