On verge of retirement, Phyllis Berman reflects on her 40-year career

After driving to campus for 40 years, Phyllis Berman says could likely do it blindfolded, but promises not to try.

 

Come June 30, the research and administrative associate in Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences is retiring, concluding a career that spanned a slew of departmental mergers, involved a string of collateral duties and witnessed technological advances that seemed fantastic back in 1973, when she received her B.S. in Public Health.

 

Immediately after graduation, she began working for Mark Mount of the Plant Pathology Department. Together they did pioneering research in understanding the regulation of plant tissue degrading enzymes produced by phytopathogens. They collaborated for 24 years, publishing several journal articles and abstracts, and co-authored a chapter in a reference book about phytopathogenic bacteria.

 

“A lot of the work was done before computers, and even hand-held calculators ever existed,” she recalls. “Anyone remember slide rules?”

 

While working as a research assistant, Berman took graduate courses and received an M.S. in Microbiology in 1981. She also took on many administrative duties when Mount was promoted to department head. In addition, she became both safety and building coordinators, roles she would continue for most of her 40 years on campus. She retained those duties when Plant Pathology became part of Microbiology, and when the Microbiology plant pathologists joined colleagues from the Entomology Department and the Plant and Soil Sciences Department to form the Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences (PSIS) in 2004.

 

Berman notes that the main thing all the mergers had in common was her, and that one day she and the department would cease all together. She was right: PSIS was recently eliminated as its most of its faculty moved to the Stockbridge School of Agriculture.

Over the last 16 years, Berman assisted several department heads and was a “Jane-of-all-trades,” learning to do whatever was asked of her. She gained computer skills, and became web coordinator for PSIS. She was also the PSIS emergency on-call person for years and says she will “certainly NOT miss the 2 a.m. “power outage on campus” calls and other emergency notifications.

 

Berman’s efforts did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. In 2002, she was awarded a Chancellor’s Citation for her outstanding work performance.

 

UMass has been a major part of her life for more than four decades, says Berman.  She not only developed a career, but also gained many lifelong national and international friends while she was a student and a staff member. She met her husband Larry Rivais, who is also an alumnus, and their daughter, Elaina Rivais, recently graduated from UMass. Berman is a life member of the Alumni Association, and a big fan of UMass sports.

 

A self-described shy person, Berman, though grateful, demurred when her department wanted to have a retirement reception in her honor. Instead, she hopes to always keep close ties with UMass, and will miss so many of her current co-workers. Good wishes can be sent to at berman@umass.edu or by mail to 60 North Plain Road, Sunderland 01375.

 

And if you see her around town, be sure to ask about the wildlife on campus she befriended, ghosts in Fernald Hall, getting locked in the French Hall men’s room, and how many campus elevators she’s gotten stuck in.