title: Vance Tartar: a unique biologist.
abstract: Vance Tartar (1911-1991) has made major discoveries concerning morphogenesis, patterning, and nucleocytoplasmic relations in the giant ciliate Stentor coeruleus, mostly by means of hand-grafting using glass microneedles. This article provides a chronological account of the major events of Vance Tartar's life, a brief description of some of his major scientific achievements, and a discussion of his distinctive personality and multifaceted interests. It concludes with a consideration of how his unique style of life and work contributed to his equally unique scientific contributions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Whiteley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology / Q000266:history*; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000502:physiology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D014481:United States