Herman T. Spieth; Led UC Riverside
Herman T. Spieth, former chancellor of UC Riverside and a zoologist known internationally for his studies on the mayfly, has died at his home in Davis at 83.
One of UC Riverside’s original faculty members in 1953, Spieth established the school’s Life Sciences Division before serving as provost and chancellor. He resigned the chancellor’s post in 1963 to resume teaching, later transferring to UC Davis to head the Zoology Department there. He retired as a professor emeritus in 1973.
Spieth, who established his reputation as a zoologist with his research on mayflies in the 1930s, later studied the behavior and evolution of numerous species of vinegar flies.
A native of Indiana, he graduated from Indiana Central College in 1926 and received his doctorate from Indiana University in 1931. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps, receiving a special commendation for developing a simplified navigation system for student pilots.
Before joining the UC system, he taught at Indiana University, the College of the City of New York and Columbia University.
Spieth died Thursday. He leaves his wife, Evelyn, a son and four granddaughters.
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