In memoriam: Dr. Sam Kaplan
Samuel Kaplan, PhD, founding chair of the McGovern Medical School Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, died Saturday, May 25, 2024. He was 90.
A world-recognized expert in the biology of photosynthetic bacteria, Kaplan is particularly well-known for fundamental discoveries of photosystem organization and regulation. He joined the Medical School in 1989 as founding chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, building the department from scratch and recruiting a cohort of talented young faculty.
Prior to joining the Medical School faculty, Kaplan spent more than 20 years as a faculty member at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, eventually becoming director of the School of Life Sciences.
“I knew Sam Kaplan before he headed Microbiology and Molecular Genetics due to our mutual interest in microbial biology and his stature in the basic science community,” said William Dowhan, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. “The biochemistry department worked hard to bring Sam to form the microbiology department at our school. Sam built an internationally recognized department that has strengthened the basic sciences at UTHealth Houston. Sam always put faculty and students first and set the standard, which lives on in the department. The departments of biochemistry and microbiology have a long history of synergism that was seeded by the close relationship between Sam and Jack DeMoss (former chair of biochemistry). Sam will be personally missed, but his legacy lives on.”
At McGovern Medical School, Kaplan built a strong and cohesive academic department with faculty of diverse interests, including research programs in fundamental microbial biology, as well as mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis. He established the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics graduate program and established activities that continue today, including the annual retreat, journal club, and seminar series.
He also introduced email to the Medical School and the university at-large, stringing cable in the ceiling of his department on the weekends with the late Bill Shepherd.
“Most importantly, he established a culture in which good mentorship is expected, from senior faculty to newly hired faculty, from faculty to students and post-docs. Countless scientific careers owe their existence to Sam, mine most certainly included. What Sam did for all of us is an enduring legacy,” said Mike Lorenz, PhD, current chair of the department.
Kaplan remained chair until his retirement in 2011, when one of his first faculty recruits, Terri Koehler, PhD, succeeded him.
“Sam Kaplan was without a doubt the most energetic, hardworking, and dedicated academic microbiologist I ever met,” Koehler said. “He was my mentor for over 30 years – from my first days as an assistant professor, to my time serving in his stead as department chair. Sam was smart, passionate, and opinionated. When he had an idea, whether it was related to a research approach, a training plan, an infrastructure change, or anything else – you could be sure that he would be unrelenting in the pursuit of his mission. Sam was a superb chair who made the support of his faculty his primary concern. He was transformative for my career, and I am very fortunate to have known him.”
“Early in my faculty position here, colleagues would ask where I was working. I quickly learned to answer that question with, ‘I’m in Sam Kaplan’s department’ because everyone knew Sam. Microbiology and Molecular Genetics is still Sam Kaplan’s department,” Lorenz added.
Heidi Kaplan, PhD, associate professor of microbiology, remembered his incredible mentorship. “He created a very special environment here during the early days of the department, hiring almost 50 percent women, which was unique in the early ‘90s. The women faculty were able to honor his efforts with the university Women Faculty Mentoring Award.”
She also recalled seeing his softer side: “Sam Kaplan was not known for his sensitivity, so it was heartwarming to see during his remarks at the symposium to honor his 70th birthday, how he became choked up when describing the slide of his beloved Rhodobacter sphaeroides, which was the focus of his life’s research.”
Chris Mackenzie, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology, recalled how his first interaction with Kaplan – via snail mail – altered the course of his life. “My first dealings with Dr. Kaplan were in the fall of 1985. I was a first-year graduate student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. I needed some biological material from him to carry out the proposed research for my thesis. This was before the internet. So, I hand-wrote a note, explaining what I wanted to do, requested some of the required material, and dropped the note in the mail, thinking such a ‘big guy’ in science wasn’t likely to reply to this. A few weeks later, and much to my surprise, a package arrived with the material along with a beautiful letter that basically said, ‘Thank you for your request; here is the material you asked for. If there is anything else I can do to help you, please let me know. Please also let me know how your work is going.’ His reply to my note was a great introduction to research, i.e., the free and open exchange of ideas, materials, and support from fellow scientists. He symbolized how members of the scientific community should interact with one another. We continued to communicate by mail and meet at conferences, culminating with him inviting me to work here at McGovern. Without him, I would never have met my wonderful wife, whom I met here in Houston. My life would be very different.”
“A big portion of my work life (15.5 years) was spent working for Sam,” Sherry Dunn recalled. “He was a force of nature, and I was honored to be his assistant. So many great memories I will cherish often.”
Kaplan earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Cornell University, a master’s in microbiology from Yale University, and a doctorate in cell biology from the University of California, San Diego. He completed postdoctoral work at the MRC Laboratory in Cambridge, England, with later research sabbaticals at Oxford and Geneva. He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
He authored more than 225 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals, and served as reviewer, editor, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Bacteriology, published by the American Society of Microbiology. He served as chair of the publications board for all 11 American Society of Microbiology journals and on the steering committee for PubMed Central. In 2007, he was elected an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow for his outstanding fundamental research in bacterial photosynthesis and for sustained and effective leadership in the profession of microbiology. He also served as treasurer of the American Society for Microbiology from 1991 to 1999 and in 1986 was honored by receiving its highest award for undergraduate teaching excellence: the Carski Award. In 2009, he was named the first fellow of Utah State University’s Synthetic Bio-Manufacturing Center.
He is survived by his wife, Karen; daughters, Idanna (James) Appio and Ilania (Chris) Stangler; grandchildren, Zoe, Lili, Inez and Irving; stepchildren, Brittney Krakower Naaman and Andy Krakower; and grandchildren, Charlie and Toni.
A memorial service will be held at 4 pm, Tuesday, June 18, at Congregation Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to the Samuel Kaplan, PhD Memorial Fund at giving.uth.edu/memorial or UTHealth Houston, PO Box 20268, Houston, TX 77025-9998.