[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E7]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO TERRY YATES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HEATHER WILSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 15, 2008

  Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, on December 12, 2007, Terry 
Yates, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the 
University of New Mexico passed away. He was a remarkable scientist and 
professor, and UNM has suffered a great loss with his passing. He lived 
a life full of enthusiasm for science. Our thoughts and prayers are 
with his wife Nancy, their sons and his entire family.
  Terry Yates came to the University of New Mexico in 1978 as an 
assistant professor of biology, and went on to become a professor of 
biology and pathology. He helped create the Long Term Ecological 
Research site outside Socorro, New Mexico, and he was the curator of 
Genomic Resources for the Museum of Southwestern Biology on the UNM 
campus.
  Terry Yates was appointed Vice Provost for Research in 2004, and 
served as Vice President for Research and Economic Development from 
2004 until his death. During this time as Vice Provost and Vice 
President, Terry increased the total amount of research awards from 
$247 million to nearly $300 million.
  UNM's President, David Schmidly, taught Terry as a graduate student 
at Texas Tech University in the mid-1970s. ``It was his exuberance you 
remember most about Terry. He was always ready to examine a new idea or 
take a trip to the field to explore a theory. I think he was happier 
out in the field than he was behind a desk,'' said Schmidly.
  Terry was best known for his groundbreaking research on the source of 
Hantavirus, a serious respiratory disease that is frequently fatal. He 
began his work in 1993, when many people in the Southwest began dying 
from an unknown viral disease. In collaboration with the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, Terry examined specimens that he had 
collected over several years, that were residing in the museum of 
Southwest Biology. Through his study, he was able to pinpoint a species 
of deer mice as the carrier of the Sin Nombre virus. The National 
Science Foundation named this research done by Terry and partner Robert 
Parmeter as one of its ``Nifty 50'' discoveries--projects funded that 
have had the biggest impact on American lives.
  Most recently, Terry published a paper on the relationship between 
weather and deer mice populations. He and his co-authors were able to 
predict increased health risks posed by deer mice to humans in specific 
parts of the Four Corners area. This research also provided the New 
Mexico Department of Public Health with the necessary scientific 
evidence required to give advanced warning to people living in specific 
parts of the state that they face increased risk of exposure to 
Hantavirus.
  He has published a total of 126 research papers.
  Terry was an honorary member of the Board of Life Sciences of the 
National Academy of Sciences, as well as an honorary member of the 
Society of Mammalogists. This is the highest honor that the Society 
bestows upon an individual.
  While his professional enthusiasm was for research and pushing back 
the frontiers of knowledge, Terry loved people and had friends from all 
walks of life. Every year, on Kentucky Derby Day, Terry had a party at 
his house complete with mint juleps. But he insisted on never sending 
out invitations. Everyone was welcome and no one was excluded.
  Terry Yates was a great mind and a vibrant leader. He fought for life 
to the very end with humor and grace. Of his final illness, he told 
people, ``I expect to get some patents out of this!''
  He challenged us and inspired us and will deeply be missed.

                          ____________________