In Memoriam: Staley, James T. (Jim)
(1938-2024)
James T. (Jim) Staley, University of Washington microbiology professor emeritus, died on Aug. 22, 2024, at the age of 86. He was a member of the American Society for Microbiology for over 50 years, and received the U.S. Federation of Culture Collections J. Roger Porter Award from ASM in 2008.
Staley was born in Brookings, S. Dak. on March 14, 1938, the youngest of 3 children, to Newton and Isabelle Staley. His father encouraged his lifelong interest in science and in problem solving by giving him challenging puzzles to solve, including a complex architectural problem that the engineers at his father's job at the Bureau of Reclamation struggled with and Jim was able to solve. His interest in finding solutions continued throughout his life with the testing of novel hypotheses.
Staley had a wide range of interests and changed college majors several times, but ultimately decided to pursue a career in science when the U.S. began to place more emphasis on science and technology after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1960 with a B.S. in math. He then pursued an advanced degree in microbiology. His master's research project provided him with the opportunity to work in the Arctic and Antarctica. At that time, the U.S. Geological Survey was preparing maps of the inland mountainous terrain near Cape Hallett. Later, Staley discovered that glaciers and mountains were named for the nearby Hallett scientists, including his namesake 2,560-meter-high Mount Staley.
While working on his doctoral degree at UC Davis, Staley married his grade school sweetheart, Sonja Jeanne Erickson (1963). They had a son, Greg (1964), and a daughter, Wendy (1966).
After completing his doctoral work at UC Davis in 1967, Staley moved to Michigan State University, where he taught the first microbial ecology course at the Gull Lake Biological Station in Hickory Corners. While there he studied the in-situ growth of algae while wearing waders and sitting on a submerged stool in a pond.
In 1968, he isolated, characterized and named 2 new genera, Prosthecomicrobium and Ancalomicrobium (Staley 1968 J Bact 95:1921). He coined the term “prostheca, -ae” meaning “appendage” in Greek as a general term for the cellular appendages of bacteria. And, 2 Prosthecomicrobium species were named (Staley 1968 J Bact 95:1921).
In 1969, Staley became assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and in 1971, he became a professor of microbiology at The University of Washington (UW). He retired from UW in 2008 and became an emeritus professor. During his time at UW, Staley wrote and published Microbial Life and Microbiology Dynamics & Diversity. He served as the Founding Director of UW’s Astrobiology Program from 1998-2005. He became a Bergey’s Manual Trustee in 1976, Chair of Bergey’s Trust in 2000, and retired from the Trust at the mandatory age of 70 in 2008, the same year he received the Bergey Medal. During his chairmanship, he initiated and served as President of Bergey's International Society for Microbial Systematics (BISMiS) from 2009-May 2011.
Staley was a member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) for more than 50 years and received the U.S. Federation of Culture Collections J. Roger Porter Award from ASM in 2008.
Throughout his career, Staley was interested in microbial evolution and diversity and considered his life's work "Seeking Truth in the Microbial Cosmos." He rejoiced in the opportunity to search for and occasionally discover some scientific truths that are integral parts of the complex tapestry of nature.
Staley's research was varied: the impact of the Mt. St. Helens eruption on blast zone lakes, desert varnish and manganese oxidation, marine microbiology, whale microbiology and chitin degradation, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation, sea ice microbiology, low temperature growth and psychrophile genomics, Black Sea studies, Phylogenomic Species Concept and Universal Species Concept, biogeography of sea ice bacteria, co-speciation of Simonsiellia and the Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, Chlamydia (PVC) Superphylum.
At age 79, Staley proposed the Nuclear Compartment Commonality (NuCom) hypothesis that posits that both the Bacteria and Eukarya evolved from nucleated ancestors. According to NuCom, the Eukarya have always been nucleated and the Bacteria evolved from nucleated ancestors of the Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobium-Chlamydia (PVC) Superphylum. Common bacteria, such as E. coli, are descended from the PVC Superphylum by enucleation a process whereby the nuclear compartment was eliminated to enable the more rapid evolution of the common bacteria to fit into their novel evolving niches.
Staley's desk piled with papers was the stuff of legends—rumor has it the fire marshal cited him one time for it as a hazard. He travelled to every continent and more than 60 countries and enjoyed hosting international friends at home. One of his favorite songs was Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." He also loved indigenous art, including Native American, Indonesian and Polynesian art; Kona Hawaii; apple fritters; lemon meringue pie and his subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. When they were boys, he and brother Bob froze the largest hailstone they could find during a Huron, S. Dak. winter storm.
During his lifetime, Staley stated: "...it is not how luminaries evaluate one based on their opinions and information, but it is the contributions one makes that are important. I believe one must be kind but stand up for oneself, be open-minded, develop a thick skin, contribute novel findings, suggest recommendations for improvement and have the humility to admit when you are wrong."
For more information on Staley's career and life, see his autobiography: Part 1 (pages 19-32) and Part 2 (pages 10-21).
Staley was preceded in death by his wife Sonja; son Greg; grandson Max, granddaughter Melanie and sister Nancy. He is survived by his daughter Wendy; grandson Jack; brother Bob (Kathie); sisters-in-law Nancy and Jan (Dick), as well as nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial bench in Staley's honor has been placed on the Innis Arden Clubhouse grounds near Sonja's and Greg's. This winter, Staley's ashes will join Sonja's in the Puget Sound off of the Edmonds-Kingston ferry route.
Obituary Submitted by:
Wendy Colbert
(Jim Staley’s daughter)
Staley was born in Brookings, S. Dak. on March 14, 1938, the youngest of 3 children, to Newton and Isabelle Staley. His father encouraged his lifelong interest in science and in problem solving by giving him challenging puzzles to solve, including a complex architectural problem that the engineers at his father's job at the Bureau of Reclamation struggled with and Jim was able to solve. His interest in finding solutions continued throughout his life with the testing of novel hypotheses.
Staley had a wide range of interests and changed college majors several times, but ultimately decided to pursue a career in science when the U.S. began to place more emphasis on science and technology after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1960 with a B.S. in math. He then pursued an advanced degree in microbiology. His master's research project provided him with the opportunity to work in the Arctic and Antarctica. At that time, the U.S. Geological Survey was preparing maps of the inland mountainous terrain near Cape Hallett. Later, Staley discovered that glaciers and mountains were named for the nearby Hallett scientists, including his namesake 2,560-meter-high Mount Staley.
While working on his doctoral degree at UC Davis, Staley married his grade school sweetheart, Sonja Jeanne Erickson (1963). They had a son, Greg (1964), and a daughter, Wendy (1966).
After completing his doctoral work at UC Davis in 1967, Staley moved to Michigan State University, where he taught the first microbial ecology course at the Gull Lake Biological Station in Hickory Corners. While there he studied the in-situ growth of algae while wearing waders and sitting on a submerged stool in a pond.
In 1968, he isolated, characterized and named 2 new genera, Prosthecomicrobium and Ancalomicrobium (Staley 1968 J Bact 95:1921). He coined the term “prostheca, -ae” meaning “appendage” in Greek as a general term for the cellular appendages of bacteria. And, 2 Prosthecomicrobium species were named (Staley 1968 J Bact 95:1921).
In 1969, Staley became assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and in 1971, he became a professor of microbiology at The University of Washington (UW). He retired from UW in 2008 and became an emeritus professor. During his time at UW, Staley wrote and published Microbial Life and Microbiology Dynamics & Diversity. He served as the Founding Director of UW’s Astrobiology Program from 1998-2005. He became a Bergey’s Manual Trustee in 1976, Chair of Bergey’s Trust in 2000, and retired from the Trust at the mandatory age of 70 in 2008, the same year he received the Bergey Medal. During his chairmanship, he initiated and served as President of Bergey's International Society for Microbial Systematics (BISMiS) from 2009-May 2011.
Staley was a member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) for more than 50 years and received the U.S. Federation of Culture Collections J. Roger Porter Award from ASM in 2008.
Throughout his career, Staley was interested in microbial evolution and diversity and considered his life's work "Seeking Truth in the Microbial Cosmos." He rejoiced in the opportunity to search for and occasionally discover some scientific truths that are integral parts of the complex tapestry of nature.
Staley's research was varied: the impact of the Mt. St. Helens eruption on blast zone lakes, desert varnish and manganese oxidation, marine microbiology, whale microbiology and chitin degradation, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation, sea ice microbiology, low temperature growth and psychrophile genomics, Black Sea studies, Phylogenomic Species Concept and Universal Species Concept, biogeography of sea ice bacteria, co-speciation of Simonsiellia and the Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, Chlamydia (PVC) Superphylum.
At age 79, Staley proposed the Nuclear Compartment Commonality (NuCom) hypothesis that posits that both the Bacteria and Eukarya evolved from nucleated ancestors. According to NuCom, the Eukarya have always been nucleated and the Bacteria evolved from nucleated ancestors of the Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobium-Chlamydia (PVC) Superphylum. Common bacteria, such as E. coli, are descended from the PVC Superphylum by enucleation a process whereby the nuclear compartment was eliminated to enable the more rapid evolution of the common bacteria to fit into their novel evolving niches.
Staley's desk piled with papers was the stuff of legends—rumor has it the fire marshal cited him one time for it as a hazard. He travelled to every continent and more than 60 countries and enjoyed hosting international friends at home. One of his favorite songs was Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." He also loved indigenous art, including Native American, Indonesian and Polynesian art; Kona Hawaii; apple fritters; lemon meringue pie and his subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. When they were boys, he and brother Bob froze the largest hailstone they could find during a Huron, S. Dak. winter storm.
During his lifetime, Staley stated: "...it is not how luminaries evaluate one based on their opinions and information, but it is the contributions one makes that are important. I believe one must be kind but stand up for oneself, be open-minded, develop a thick skin, contribute novel findings, suggest recommendations for improvement and have the humility to admit when you are wrong."
For more information on Staley's career and life, see his autobiography: Part 1 (pages 19-32) and Part 2 (pages 10-21).
Staley was preceded in death by his wife Sonja; son Greg; grandson Max, granddaughter Melanie and sister Nancy. He is survived by his daughter Wendy; grandson Jack; brother Bob (Kathie); sisters-in-law Nancy and Jan (Dick), as well as nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial bench in Staley's honor has been placed on the Innis Arden Clubhouse grounds near Sonja's and Greg's. This winter, Staley's ashes will join Sonja's in the Puget Sound off of the Edmonds-Kingston ferry route.
Obituary Submitted by:
Wendy Colbert
(Jim Staley’s daughter)