Phillip Tobias, the renowned South African paleontologist passed away on Thursday, June 6, 2012, after battling a lengthy illness. He was 86 years old.
Widely recognised as an activist, who was dedicated to a better understanding of the origin and survival of humanity, Tobias was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize for his contributions to science. He was responsible for some of the most famous finds of hominids fossils.
Recognized as an anti-apartheid activist, Professor Tobias was in 1948, elected to the president of the National Union of the Students of South Africa. It was the same year in which apartheid begun, and the union opposed segregation in universities and introduced its first campaign against the rule of white minority.
Tobias officially retired in 1993 after a distinguished career that included more than 1300 publications and receiving many awards and honorary degrees from several universities, including the University of Western Ontario, Cambridge University, Pennsylvania University, Alta, the University of Guelph, and Witwatersrand University where he was Professor Emeritus, and the only person to hold three simultaneous professorships. Tobias was initially drawn to genetics after his sister, Valerie, died due to complications from diabetes. He obtained five degrees, including in medicine, genetics and paleoanthropology, and he headed the anatomy department at the University from 1959 to 1990.
Tobias, known as friendly and outgoing, was able to explain scientific concepts in a way that almost everyone could understand, was featured in his own popular television series in 2002, where ideas around anatomy, genetics and primatology were explored.
Perhaps the most famous find was the discovery of 4 bones that are estimated to be at least 4.17 million years old. The bones were unearthed by Dr. Ron Clarke at Sterkfontein caves, which were later proclaimed as a World Heritage site, after a successful campaign by Tobias.
Tobais never married and leaves no family, but was very proud of the legacy that he left behind. His cultural legacy includes a gift to humanity that also includes teaching and inspiring more than 10,000 students with whom he interacted during his career.
