Ida Elizabeth Yates

She was born September 14, 1941 in Wilkes County, NC where she lived for the first 17 years of her life. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Yates of Purlear, NC. She is survived by her two children, Nathan Alan Jaworski, Athens, GA, and Sarah Elizabeth Jaworski, Bishop, GA, daughter in law, Sarah S. Jaworski, two grandchildren, Julie E. Bennett and Alan B. Jaworski, brother and sister-in-law Clayton and Gayle Yates, and innumerable brothers- and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Alan Jaworski in 2000. He was a professor in the Plant Sciences Department at the University of Georgia from 1968 until his untimely death in 2000.

Ida attended Millers Creek Elementary School and West Wilkes High School and graduated from Wake Forest College, Winston-Salem, NC in 1963 with a BS degree in biology. On the completion of her undergraduate college studies, she moved to Pinellas Park, Florida and taught science and biology for three years at Pinellas Park Junior High School. During the summers, she returned to North Carolina and took courses at Appalachia College, Boone, NC in biology and education to upgrade her teaching credentials.

In 1966, Ida was accepted into the Academic Year Institute, a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. The purpose of the program was to enhance the skills of science teachers in the United States. The Director of the Academic Year Instituted was Dr. Jonathon Westfall (deceased). Once she entered in the NSF program at the University of Georgia, she continued to reside in Athens, Georgia for the remainder of her life.

Following the completion of the Academic Year Institute, Dr. Yates was accepted into the graduate school at the University of Georgia where she pursued requirements for her MS degree awarded in 1968 under the direction of Dr. Wilbur Duncan who directed her research on the leaf anatomical characteristics to differentiate the various species of invasive weedy vine, Smilax.. She completed requirements for a PhD in 1974 under the direction of Dr. Gary Kochert who directed her research on the molecular biology involved in the sexual differentiation of the green algae, Volvox carteri.

She served as the Curator of Lower Plants in the Botany Department at the University of Georgia from 1972-1974 and subsequently in 1974-1976 as a research associate. In 1976, she accepted a position with the USDA Russell Research Center where she continued scientific research, primarily on corn and pecans, until her retirement in 2008. During her career, she authored 50 peer reviewed scientific publications. She authored an additional 43 publications in trade journals, meeting proceedings, and books.

During her career as a scientist she traveled extensively throughout the United States and the world to share her research findings with fellow scientists. In the years following her USDA tenure, she continued to travel extensively, and as a result, visited all 50 states in the US and traveled to all 7 continents.

Ida will be remembered for her love of reading, shrimp at the beach, cheering on the Dawgs, Elvis, Lewis Grizzard, Family Feud, and for her infectious laughter.

Friends and family are invited to wear your red and black to her Celebration of Life, to be held at the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia in the Great Room at the Visitor’s Center, Sunday 13 November at 4:30PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Alan Jaworski Student Travel Award. Please make checks payable to the UGA Foundation with the Alan Jaworski Student Travel Award in the memo field of the check. Mail to: University of Georgia Foundation, 1 Press Place, Athens, GA 30602.