A Tribute to John McDowell
We dedicate this page to the life and legacy of our beloved John McDowell, professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, who passed away on Dec. 24 after a 19-month battle with cancer.
He also held appointments with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, including serving as its scientific director from 2013-21 and principal scientist for Latham Hall.
An outpouring of sentiments, memories, reflections, and condolences have been made about John and the indeniable impact he had on so many: his family, his peers at Virginia Tech; his colleagues from around the world; his students and mentees, and the list goes on.
Dr. McDowell was one of my favorite professors when I was in grad school at Virginia Tech. I am a human biologist and Dr. McDowell's passion for molecular biology made me almost interested in plant genetics because of his enthusiasm. He was an amazing educator! Angela Anderson (Collegiate Associate Professor, Human Nutrition, Food, and Exercise, Virginia Tech)
I came to know John through his work with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. He took on supervision of an ongoing research partnership project with the 10th grade students of the Blue Ridge Virginia Governor's School (for which I served as Director) several years ago. He was a real joy to work with - always positive, fun, friendly and incredibly supportive of our students - and it was with great sadness that I learned of his passing. He will be sincerely missed by the BRVGS community, and his family will be in our thoughts and prayers. Many thanks and fair winds, John.
Thank you John for your support and belief in me as my mentor and advisor. You always pushed me, not only to be better but to pursue my passions. You knew how to live life well and you still inspire me every day.
Dr. John McDowell was on my Ph.D. committee and taught me in one class. He is an excellent scientist, a great mentor, and a dear lovely friend. John helped me a lot on my way to pursuing the degree. I remember him nodding his head and smiling at me when I was giving seminars, giving me great encouragement and support.
And that's not just for me. I remember John calling for donations of gloves and masks to the local hospitals during the pandemic. He is a great leader in this community, and I greatly admire him. He was always willing to help people with warm smiles, positive with life and work, so that I never knew he had fought cancer for this long time until this heartbreaking news. All great memories with John will be kept in heart, feeling precious and grateful along life."
"John’s contributions to the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and its former renditions have been highly valuable, especially regarding leadership. As the Principal Scientist of Latham Hall, John provided wonderful contributions to the many facets needed to help the Latham Hall community be the best it can be.
I place great value on those contributions, and also his selfless approach to providing input to and guidance on several FLSI initiatives and projects, which were informed by important service roles at Virginia Tech, in professional societies, and with government agencies and bodies. I will miss his steady and highly engaging demeanor, as well as his impactful smile."
“John was a brilliant scientist and researcher. He was an incredible mentor, colleague, and friend. His wisdom, integrity, and generosity shaped the very fabric of our community. His unwavering commitment to advancing translational plant sciences, coupled with his dedication to the success of those around him, made him a guiding force for all of us.”
It has been quite unbelievable and really sad to hear about John's passing. Over the last three years, I have had the opportunity to work with John on an NSF project he was leading with such great passion and vision. Those were years filled with moments which I will always treasure-meetings with John and Mahmut Tor, our collaborator from the UK, during which John's energy and positivity were always such a source of inspiration.
John was so much more than an exceptional scientist; he was a kind and humble soul who made every person feel valued and heard. His love for science and life was contagious, and his ability to make people come together was such a gift that every interaction with him was a pure joy.
"I first met John 25 years ago in Jeff Dangl’s lab in North Carolina, where his intellect and warmth left an indelible impression on me. Over the years, our paths overlapped at various conferences and meetings around the globe, including the Arabidopsis conferences, MPMI, and OMGN gatherings. These meetings were not only venues for sharing science but also for building friendship.
One of my fondest memories with John was at an Arabidopsis conference in Madison, where we shared a room. Our late-night conversations were filled with science, ideas, and laughter—a reflection of his boundless curiosity and generosity of spirit. Our professional relationship grew over the years as we collaborated on joint grants funded by UK and US agencies, leading to impactful publications. John’s scientific rigour and creativity made every project with him a rewarding experience.
In recent years, as our collaborative research continued, we frequently held online meetings to discuss progress and exchanged visits between our laboratories. In 2023, we had the honour of inviting John to a conference in Turkey. Although he was eager to join us, circumstances prevented his attendance. Nevertheless, we carried his spirit with us, quite literally, as we flew a flag for him in his absence (see below)—a testament to the high regard and affection everyone held for him.
Despite his challenges, John remained remarkably positive and engaged. In our recent online meetings, his optimism and enthusiasm for science shone brightly. Even in his final weeks, he stayed connected, and we were making arrangements for my postdoc to visit his lab in the New Year. His unwavering dedication to his work and his collaborators was truly inspiring.
John’s impact on the scientific community and on those fortunate enough to know him personally is immeasurable. He was not just a brilliant scientist but also a kind and generous human being who enriched the lives of everyone he met. His legacy will live on through his scientific contributions, his collaborations, and the countless lives he touched.
John, you will be deeply missed, but your memory will forever remain a source of inspiration to all of us."
What I admire even more about John than his excellence in research, was his positive view of life and humanity. While I like to complain, I never heard John complain. He never complained about the things most faculty like to complain about: reviewers of our manuscripts and grants, students, administrators, and moren listened when I complained and acknowledged it but he would never follow up with his own complaints.
In fact, I do not remember a single time he complained about any aspect of his work. Even more impressively, he never seemed to be bitter about his illness. He took life with a degree of resilience and positive attitude that I have not seen in anyone else, all while being kind and supportive of everyone around him.
John McDowell was an excellent scientist, a valued colleague, and friend. John's son Ethan graduated together in the same Blacksburg High School class as my daughter, so I knew John outside of Virginia Tech as well. John served as a member of my last Ph.D. student's graduate committee. He was extremely cordial, treated everyone with respect, and he made those around him feel at ease. Not all scientists have those qualities!
I first met John at an Arabidopsis Research Conference. He was one of the few people to talk to me as I stood at my poster and I will never forget his genuine enthusiasm for my work. I was therefore very happy when he joined our department at Virginia Tech a year or two later.
Over the years he proved to be a fantastic colleague, always insightful, encouraging, and reliable. It was clear that he was brilliant and his lab produced excellent work, but he never stopped being a humble and humorous guy. This was valuable as he moved into positions of leadership, and I always trusted that he was looking out for the best interests of everyone. This trait got him elected to Chair the department promotion and tenure committee numerous times, which is one of the higher honors in an academic department (signifying that most of your peers trust you to do a good job on the most sensitive career-shaping committee).
I have no doubt that John could have moved on to other universities that would have given him more money and resources, but he was committed to Virginia Tech. I think he recognized that there is something special about this community and his colleagues. In turn, he contributed substantially to that positive environment and contributed to the joy and satisfaction of his colleagues (it was certainly true for me). He will be greatly missed.
"John and I overlapped briefly as graduate students in Rich Meagher's lab at the University of Georgia, and I was thrilled when, a few years later, we were able to recruit him to Virginia Tech into a faculty position affiliated with the then-Fralin Biotechnology Center. Even then it was easy to see that he was an outstanding scientist with an exceedingly promising future, but what none of us could have foreseen was how central John would become to Virginia Tech's growing molecular plant sciences community.
He was a major force behind what was to eventually become the Translational Plant Sciences Center, a gifted mentor and teacher, and a highly-valued colleague, both on campus and well beyond. John leaves behind a remarkable legacy - and a large hole that will be felt for a very long time to come."
