Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
2.7 From Lebanon Back to UC Davis
By the beginning of 1969, things were getting pretty bad at the National Research
Institute. My Research budget was cut drastically, and the research working
conditions left much to be desired. Essentially there was no set up infrastructure
for the protection of the right and status of research scientists, and we failed to
convince government officials of creating one. Therefore Carole and I decided that
the best we could do for our immediate family was to get back and settle in the
United States. Then in June 1969 Paul Castelfranco offered me a 3 months summer
stay in his lab at UCD. Therefore, Carole, my son Paul, my daughter Natalie who was
born in 1965, and I left everything behind and headed to California suit cases
filled with our cloths and unfinished manuscripts. Once at UCD I started putting
the last touches on unfinished work that was started in my Lab at Tal-El-Amara.
My employment was extended by Paul Castelfranco and the UCD Botany depart-
ment. Soon thereafter I resigned from the Lebanese National Research Institute.
In 1970 our first two manuscripts were submitted for Publication in Plant Physiology
and were very well received (Rebeiz et al. 1970a , b ). The first evidence of Chl
biosynthesis in vitro was observed in my laboratory at Tel-Al-Amara in 1967.
Once in Davis I finished the research by working out the cofactor requirement for
the incorporation of 14 C -ALA into Chl. Two manuscripts were submitted to Plant
Physiology. They appeared back to back out in Jan 1971 (Rebeiz and Castelfranco
1971a , b ). Martin Gibbs, editor-in-chief of Plant physiology congratulated us and
wrote “You have achieved what others had tried and failed”. Paul Stumph in whose
lab I used the chromatogram scanner needed for the work, congratulated me earlier
by shaking my hand and telling me “Tino you have gotten one of the last large
molecules out of the way”.
2.8 From UC Davis to Fresno State College
Early In 1971, Julian Crane, my MS thesis adviser, invited me to join the depart-
ment of Pomology at UCD on a visiting basis, and I started looking for permanent
employment in the US. In the spring of 1972, while doing research at UCD,
I accepted a part time job at Sacramento State, College, which later became Cal
State Sacramento. There, I taught a course and a lab on the use of radiochemical
techniques. Also in the spring of 1971, I interviewed at the University of Illinois, in
Urbana-Champaign (UI) for a position in the department of Horticulture. However
due to budget restraints the position was momentarily suspended. Then late in the
spring of 1971, I interviewed for an assistant professorship position in the Biology
Department at Fresno State College, which later became Cal State Fresno.
I accepted the offer for an assistant Professor step four, which is one step below
an associate professor. In August 1971 Carole, Paul, Natalie and I moved to Fresno,
Cal. I started the 1971 fall semester by teaching two courses and trying to setup a
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