Barbara J. Stahl, 73, paleoichthyologist
Barbara Jaffe Stahl, an internationally renowned paleoichthyologist and a legendary anatomy professor at Saint Anselm College, died Friday of metastatic breast cancer in Manchester, N.H. She was 73.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., 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, London, New York, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chicago, Washington, and Boston 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.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Stahl leaves three daughters, Sarah, Susan Hardy, and Nancy Wilsker of Massachusetts; a son Dr. John S. of Ohio, and 10 grandchildren.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. today in Temple Adath Yeshurun.
Burial will be in the Manchester Hebrew Cemetery.
