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17 April 1924 - 22 May 2008
Elgin, South Carolina, died Thursday, 22 May 2008, at Kershaw
County Medical Center in Camden, South Carolina. He was 84 years
old.
Stephen was born on 17 April 1924 to Dr. Stephen Taber II and
Bessie Ray Taber of Columbia, South Carolina. His father was the
South Carolina State Geologist from 1912 to 1947 and the head of
the Geology Department at the University of South Carolina where
he was involved in the engineering of the Santee-Cooper Dam,
among many other projects.
Steve became interested in bees at an early age, using the banks of
the Broad River in Columbia as his research yard. He graduated
from University High School in 1942 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy as
an Aviation Cadet in October of that same year. Steve was
honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in September of 1945, after
the end of World War II.
In 1950, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in
Madison, Wisconsin, with a Bachelor of Science, specializing in Bee
Research under Professor C.L. Farrar. His first position was with the
Entomology Research Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
as an assistant to D. Mackenson in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This is
where he met his long time friend, Murray Blum. After 15 years in
Baton Rouge, he was transferred to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona, where, in his
words, “he was his own instructor.” After his retirement from the U.
S. Department of Agriculture, he moved to California and founded
“Honey Bee Genetics.” Steve traveled extensively, teaching,
lecturing, and researching. He lived in France for a few years,
continuing his genetic research with bees before returning to the
Columbia area.
Some of his students are leaders in the world of beekeeping
research today. His book, Breeding Super Bees, will attest to some
of his research and his studies around the world. His articles and
research publications are still being referenced by honey bee
researchers world-wide. Articles written by Steve, and his
collaborative efforts with others, appeared in numerous publications
for over 50 years. They include the “American Beekeeping Journal,”
“Gleanings in Bee Culture,” “Journal of Economic Entomology,”
“Journal of Apicultural Research,” and “Beekeepers Quarterly.”
The life and legacy of Steve Taber are such that they will remain in
the hearts of those who knew him. His knowledge and mannerisms
have moulded the lives of all those he touched. He will never be
forgotten. One of his students writes: “Taber was the most brilliant
and wonderfully eccentric bee researcher, ever. He also was the best
teacher, he made us question everything we knew or took for
granted, and then transformed those questions into creative and
constructive research problems – all while teasing and yelling and
laughing wildly and free.”
Steve was preceded in death by his two older sisters, Dr. Elsie
Taber and Mollie Denton. Survivors include his eight children:
Caroline Kauffman of Colorado; Stephen L. Taber, Louis Taber, and
Ray Taber of Arizona; Eugenie Taber of Texas; and Guyle Taber,
Brian Taber, and Sarah Taber of California. Also surviving him are
his six grandchildren, Megan Eichenlaub, Stephen Ray Taber, Lucas
Taber, Grant Taber, Wyatt Taber, and Owen P. Taber, and his two
great-grandchildren, Stephen Coulter Taber and Nicole Marie Taber.
There will be a memorial service at the Unitarian Universalist
Church, 2701 Heyward Street, Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday,
15 June 2008 at 2:00 p.m. Friends and family wil be received in the
reception hall after the service.
His cremated remains will be interred at the Fort Jackson Memorial
Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.
My memories of Mr Steve
Steve Taber died last year. His ashes were
interred Friday, 31 January 2009, at the Fort
Jackson Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.
Those wishing to pay their respects are
welcome to do so. The address is:
4170 Percival Road (Hwy 12)
Fort Jackson, South Carolina
the WebWitch
pictures of his dad's beehives (1941) and
observation hives that he built in 1940.
sides, end and top. i also made a super for
it. the hive held 4 frames." S. Taber
that i ever owned. bought from (?) b. for
$3.00 apiece."
