One of the greatest scientists of the beginning of this century will be traveling around the world starting this month. And he still looks like a handsome young man.
Ernest Just, who gained scientific fame for his research in marine biology, recently was named the 19th honoree of the Black Heritage stamp series of the U.S. Postal Service. Just earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago and was a scientist in the area for many years. His accomplishments were recognized Thursday at a special ceremony at the Shedd Aquarium.
"He was able to do what he did, when he did, with all of the obstacles," said Jacquelyn Cooper, one of about 60 people who turned out to honor the deceased Just. "That is a lesson to youth today."
Most of those who attended the ceremony were members of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, a group Just helped found in 1911 to encourage African-American men to take leadership roles in their communities. The fraternity now has 900 chapters worldwide, 11 in the Chicago area.
His three daughters, who do not live in the Chicago area, were unable to attend the event.
Just studied fertilization in marine invertebrates. He also focused on the role of the cell surface in the development of organisms. During a 34-year tenure at Howard University in Washington, D.C., he served as head of the department of physiology and then as head of the zoology department.
He completed his undergraduate work at Dartmouth College, where, even though he achieved the highest honors in his class, he was not allowed to speak at commencement because he was black.
"In many ways I feel the spirit of Just in my life," said Rhea Combs, community education representative of the aquarium. "He believed there was a need for integration of biological research and social philosophy. He thought learning was a process, not a destination."
The so-called "Second Day of Issue" celebration at the aquarium followed a ceremony at Howard University on Feb. 1. The Postal Service sponsored events in both places because of his significant contributions to both, said Debra Hawkins of the Postal Service.
To the rolling of drums, the U.S. Postal Service Color Guard opened the ceremony, placing flags of the United States and Postal Service at either end of the stage.
After the singing of the national anthem and a welcoming prayer, several representatives of the aquarium, Postal Service and fraternity recalled the details of Just's accomplishments.
"May we be inspired wherever this stamp is seen to reach new heights of science and biology," Minister Darrow Andrews of First Corinthian Baptist Church said in his invocation.
The event closed as a enlarged replica of the stamp was unveiled. The 32-cent stamp bears a picture of Just at the beginning of his career, his name and the words "Black Heritage" and "Biologist."