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Tucson Business Community Honors Former RCSA President
by Dan Huff
The Tucson Chamber of Commerce has honored Dr. John P. Schaefer, former president of Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), with its 2009 Founders' Award for his "extraordinary leadership" over the past 40 years.
The Chamber noted Dr. Schaefer "has made generous and life-changing contributions to Arizona in science, education, photography and social services."
Chamber officials cited Dr. Schaefer's "visionary efforts" to assemble the funding and scientific team to build the University of Arizona Mirror Lab, one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world. The Mirror Lab helped to create the innovative Multiple Mirror Telescope atop Mount Hopkins south of Tucson and several other large astronomical instruments, including the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) now coming up to speed atop Mount Graham near Safford, Arizona.
As President of RCSA, Dr. Schaefer helped to bring together the financing and administrative structures to create the LBT. "Dr. Schaefer played the key role in ensuring the success of the LBT," says current RCSA President Jim Gentile. "His belief in the huge upside scientific potential for the telescope brought a critically important infusion of RCSA resources into the project at a time when the future of the LBT initiative was most at risk."
Dr. Schaefer was the youngest president of the University of Arizona. During his tenure, he created the internationally known Center for Creative Photography. His friendship with legendary photographer Ansel Adams was instrumental in the Center's acquisition of Adams' archives and the archives of a number of other influential 20th-century photographers.
Dr. Schaefer has contributed to more than 40 publications in the area of mechanistic, synthetic and structural aspects of organic chemistry. His photographic exhibitions include the Loggia Rucellai Gallery in Florence, Italy, Photography Southwest Gallery in Scottsdale and the Tucson Museum of Art.
John and Helen Schaefer have two children, Ann Marie and Susan Margaret.