Our Branch Logo

Archives Committee: Linda A. Miller Ph.D. and Toby K. Eisenstein, Ph.D.

At the October 2023 Branch meeting, our speaker Dr. Nathan Grubaugh, commented on our beautiful Branch logo.  Several of our colleagues asked about the story behind the logo.  We delved into the archives (and our memories!) and here is the history. In 1978, a competition was held to design an appropriate logo for the Branch.  There were many submissions, and ultimately a design by Dr. Henry Stempen was chosen. What impressed the selection committee was not only the inclusion of a wide array of microbes: bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, but also the exquisitely drawn detail in the logo.

Dr. Stempen received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951.  At the time of his retirement in 1988, he was a Professor of Microbiology at Rutgers University, Camden. Dr. Stempen had impressive artistic talent.  He loved to paint watercolors.  In 1994, Dr. Stempen co-authored a book with Dr. Steven Stephenson entitled, “Myxomycetes – a handbook of Slime molds “.  All the drawings in the book were made by Dr. Stempen. 

Our Branch logo has stood the test of time, still an inspiring representation of our wonderous field of microbiology.