Our Trust and symposium is named after Rose Marie Pangborn, Professor and Sensory Scientist, who worked at the University of California Davis from 1955 until her death in 1990. Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 1932, Professor Pangborn earned her B.S. from New Mexico State University and her M.S. at Iowa State University. At the University of California / Davis, she taught graduate and undergraduate courses and directed graduate research of over 40 students. Rose Marie Pangborn is internationally known as an early leader in sensory science, publishing over 180 scientific articles and co-authoring three textbooks. One of these, Principles of Sensory Evaluation (Amerine, Pangborn and Roessler) was first published in 1965 and served as the “bible” for sensory course work and research for over 2 decades. She was a member of eight scientific societies and was a co-founding officer of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) in 1978.
Iowa State University honored her with an outstanding alumna award in 1971. In 1973 she received a distinguished alumna award and in 1988 an outstanding alumna award from New Mexico State University. In 1984, the University of Helsinki, Finland, awarded her the Doctor Honoris Causa in Food Science. In 1989, she received a “Pioneer” award from the American Society for Testing and Materials to acknowledge her key role in the development of sensory evaluation, taking it from a home economics practice to a rigorous scientific discipline. In addition to her strong research program, she was internationally known for her outstanding teaching.
She received distinguished teaching awards from the University of California, Davis and from the Institute of Food Technologists (the William V. Cruess Award). Not only was her style of teaching always articulate, clear and organized, she challenged students to rise to their best. Her course, Principles of Sensory Evaluation, was the foundation for the careers of a generation of sensory scientists. Although many students complained about the enormous amount of work required, most described it subsequently as the best course they had ever taken. While she had exacting standards, her strongest influence on her students was through her interaction with them. Despite her international reputation and high research productivity, she always had time for each student. Her research and teaching, professionalism, and her refusal to accept anything short of excellence influenced both her colleagues and the students. Through her influence, the University of California Davis became known internationally as a center of excellence for sensory teaching and research.
Although widely known for her insistence on excellence and her long working hours, she was a person who cared strongly about others. Her influence on students was enormous. Those who took her classes often commented on how she profoundly changed the direction of their lives. She had an extraordinary ability to inspire others. In addition to her extensive teaching and research activities, and her international correspondence, she maintained a list of more than 200 former students, to whom she wrote at least once per year. Her thoughtfulness in small things is a memory shared by many people; her sense of humor was legendary.
Adapted from her obituary written in 1990 by Ann C. Noble, Louis E. Grivetti, & John R. Whitaker