Barbara J. Stahl, Paleoichthyologist, 73

[DGH]

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Barbara Jaffe Stahl, an internationally renowned paleoichthyologist
and a legendary anatomy professor at Saint Anselm College, died
Friday, January 16, 2004, of metastatic breast cancer in Manchester,
New Hampshire, at the age of 73.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Stahl's interest in vertebrates began
with childhood trips to the American Museum of Natural History. She
was valedictorian at the Albany Academy for girls and received a
Bachelor's degree in zoology from Wellesley College, where she was a
member of Phi Beta Kappa honorary society.

She went on to pursue a master's degree in biology from Radcliffe
College. Ten years later, after marrying and having four children, she
reenrolled and completed a doctorate, at the urging of a Harvard
professor.

Mrs. Stahl met her husband, Dr. David G. Stahl, on a blind date, which
resulted in a marriage of 52 years.

As a mother, she emphasized academics and gave a lot to her children,
her husband said yesterday.

Her thesis on a rare group of fish led her to the study of vertebrate
evolution and won her a place at a Nobel symposium. She was one of
seven Americans and the only woman to participate.

At Saint Anselm, where she began teaching in 1954, Mrs. Stahl was the
first tenured woman on the faculty. Her passion and unique approach to
teaching drew crowds to her classes, especially to her course on
comparative anatomy. Mrs. Stahl incorporated her cultural knowledge
into biology, often taking her students to the Boston Symphony
Orchestra.

"It was important to her that an educated person be well rounded in
all aspects of life," her husband said.

"Students came to her classroom just to listen. Faculty from other
departments took her courses to watch her teach."

Mrs. Stahl's writing was published in various scientific journals. Her
book, "Vertebrate History: Problems in Evolution" remained in print
for more than 20 years. Mrs. Stahl also coauthored a book, "How to get
into Ivy League Schools."

The focus of Mrs. Stahl's later years became "The Handbook of
Paleoichthyology." The volume was published in 1999 after 12 years of
preparation. She wrote the book alone and traveled to natural history
museum collections in Paris, France, London, England, New York, New
York, Moscow, Russir, St. Petersburg, Russia, Chicago, Illinois,
Washington DC, and Boston, Massachusetts, to conduct research. The
book continues to be a standard in the field. Mrs. Stahl served on
many committees and was active in student activities at Saint Anselm.
She chaired the biology department for nine years. Saint Anselm
College awarded an honorary Doctor of Science to Mrs. Stahl in 1993.
The Albany Academy named her its outstanding alumna in 1992 and she
received awards from numerous other groups.

She was a member of the Institutional Review Board of Catholic Medical
Center, the cultural committee of the Jewish Federation, and treasurer
of the Northeast Regional Advisers to the Health Professions.

A longstanding interest in education led her to participate with a
group of local citizens in founding the Derryfield School in 1964. The
school emphasizes strong academics and private education and is still
in operation today.