Past Meeting Proceedings
Past Meeting Proceedings
Past Meeting Proceedings
Past Meeting Proceedings
NORTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION OF FORENSIC SCIENTISTS
In Memoriam
John A. Reffner, Life Member
I first met Dr Reffner in the late 90’s when I signed up for a polarized light microscopy course through the New York Microscopical Society (NYMS) when it was still in Patterson, New Jersey. That’s when my learning microscopy from John began. I continued to learn from John for almost the next three decades in various venues. After taking the two microscope courses offered by NYMS, to learn more after becoming a member, I audited several subsequent courses where John was an instructor. He was always eager and willing to share his immense knowledge and experience. “Experience” is putting it lightly when it came to John. He retired several times prior to being hired at John Jay College of Criminal Justice by Science Department Chair Dr. Larry Kobilinsky to teach chemistry and forensic science. (He was a rubber chemist at B.F. Goodrich, microscopist at McCrone Associates, Material Scientist at the University of Connecticut, American Cyanamid, Spectra-Tech, Nicolet, Thermo Scientific, SensIR, and Smiths Detection). During his tenure at John Jay College, he was asked how he would like to be remembered; his answer was “I’d like to be remembered as a good mentor”. It’s no surprise that he was an excellent mentor, assisting and guiding many students with their thesis research.
It was my pleasure to be John’s coworker for two decades at John Jay College. We broke bread in the faculty cafeteria many times. That’s where John would often say “ketchup makes everything taste better”. No argument there! I would often sit in on his graduate criminalistics class because of his vast knowledge and experience in forensic science that he eagerly shared with his students every Thursday evening.
From a scientific standpoint, John also had many words of wisdom. One example that he explained to me was the top three requirements for microscopy are “sample prep, sample prep and sample prep”. I have heeded those words numerous times, which resulted in successful microscopical analyses of evidence in both casework and research.
John was a Life Member of NEAFS and contributed a lot to the organization. He and Dr Peter De Forest co-taught the first NEAFS microscopy workshop in Connecticut in the late 70’s. That must have been an amazing workshop considering the talent and background of the two instructors!
John was the recipient of numerous awards. They covered one of the walls in his home laboratory. There were so many that I’ve lost count! He received them from various forensic and scientific organizations. Some of these are: The Emile Chamot Award in 1993 from The State Microscopical Society of Illinois (SMSI), the Williams-Wright Award in 2000 from the Coblentz Society, the Honorary Achievement Award in 2002 from the Georgia Microscopical Society, the Ernst Abbe Award in 2002 from the New York Microscopical Society (NYMS), the Paul Kirk Award in 2004 from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), Fellow status in 2011 by the Society of Applied Spectroscopy (SAS), the Gold Medal Award in 2015 by the Society of Applied Spectroscopy, the Edmond Locard Award for Excellence in Trace Evidence in 2016 from the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE), the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Vibrational Spectroscopy in 2020 by the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS). In addition to all of these accomplishments, John also authored or co-authored 90 articles, ten book chapters and the his book “Solving Problems with Microscopy”.
John will be sorely missed in the microscopy, spectroscopy and forensic science communities.
Rest in peace, John.
Pete Diaczuk
Ronald Stanbro, Emeritus Member
It is with a heavy heart that the New York State Police Crime Laboratory announces the passing of retired Trace Forensic Scientist Ronald Stanbro. Ron worked in the Crime Laboratory system for 32 years and was stationed at the Western Satellite Crime Laboratory in Olean, NY. He performed casework in Fire Debris analysis and Trace evidence. Ron was a proud member of NEAFS and the American Chemical Society. An avid sports fan, he supported the New York Yankees, The Buffalo Bills and the Ohio State Buckeyes as well as Franklinville, NY athletics. Ron also spent many years coaching youth football. Ron will be greatly missed by his beloved wife Diane, his two sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren, one great grandchild, nieces and nephews as well as his many friends and colleagues in the New York State Police and the general criminal justice community.
Respectfully Submitted,
Bradley J. Brown
Associate Director, Physical Comparison Unit
Firearms / Trace Evidence / Fire Debris Analysis
New York State Police
Forensic Investigation Center
Howard Harris, Ph.D., J.D., Professor Emeritus
I regret to inform the NEAFS community of the recent passing of Howard Harris Ph.D., J.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of New Haven.
Long before Howard became the Director of the UNH program (1996-2003), he had a distinguished career in forensic science. Howard was a chemist and not only earned his Ph.D. from Yale but also a J.D. from St. Louis University. He first worked as a research chemist for the Shell Oil Company before entering the forensic field as the Director of the New York City Police Department Police Laboratory in January of 1974. He held that position for just under twelve years before he moved to Rochester, NY, to become the Director of the Monroe County Public Safety Laboratory. He left the Monroe County lab after 11 years to join the faculty of the University of New Haven.
He was one of the first members of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists and a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Science. He also served as the President of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors.
The aptly named Howard Harris Graduate Student Award at UNH recognizes Howard’s unwavering love of research. He could often be seen in the lab or his office working on a myriad of research projects. Even after retiring from UNH and earning the well-deserved title of Emeritus Professor, his passion for research never wavered. His legacy spans generations, and I know many of us are grateful for his contributions to our forensic education and career development.
As a community we express our deepest condolences to Howard’s family as well as all those who knew and loved him.
Respectfully Submitted,
Adam B. Hall, Ph.D., ABC-FD
President, Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists
On behalf of Peter Valentin, BFS, MFS, ABC-CC, CSCSA
Undergraduate Coordinator and Senior Lecturer
Forensic Science Department, University of New Haven
Donald Hoffman, Ph.D., ABFT.
It is with great sadness that I must report the passing of Dr Donald Hoffman. He checked himself into the hospital in mid-March with flu-like symptoms, and lost his battle with COVID-19 a short time later.
I was privileged to call Don my friend, as we worked together for many years at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. We must have had hundreds of meals together, both in the faculty dining room, and more frequently after work at local restaurants around the neighborhood. We also rode together to and from the NEAFS Annual Meetings every year from 2004 to 2019. Don enjoyed every NEAFS meeting, and frequently signed up for the toxicology-related workshops immediately preceding the Annual Meetings. I’ve included just a few of the many photographs I took of my friend Don during NEAFS 2019.
Dr Hoffman was an accomplished chemist and toxicologist, having received his BA degree in chemistry from New York University and his Ph.D. degree in chemistry from Columbia University. He worked at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) as a forensic toxicologist for 27 years, and continued in forensic toxicology as a private consultant right until the virus took him from us. Don was passionate about the field, and often answered calls from attorneys as we were dining. I was always amazed at how detailed and technical his answers were, with zero preparation or advance knowledge of whom was calling or what they were calling about.
Dr Hoffman began teaching forensic toxicology and pharmacology at John Jay College 44 years ago, impacting over 3,000 students in his career there. During that time, he also mentored many students on their research projects, and in 2006 was recognized for his contributions by the Forensic Science Society with an award “In Recognition of Outstanding and Dedicated Support to the Society and the John Jay Community”. To further honor his dedication and contributions, his family is establishing The Donald B. Hoffman Memorial Scholarship in Toxicology to benefit students at John Jay College who have chosen the toxicology specialization.
In addition to co-authoring dozens of articles on forensic tox during his career, Dr Hoffman wrote a chapter on postmortem toxicology in Wiley & Sons’ Forensic Chemistry Handbook. He was a voracious reader of toxicological material and always strove to remain current in his field. I would often drop by Don’s office unexpectedly, only to find him reading a journal article on advances in instrumentation techniques, sample preparation, metabolites, new synthetic drug manufacture, and the list goes on.
Don always enjoyed a good meal, dessert (hold the whipped cream), two cups of coffee and finish off the session with a big cigar. These were his most relished moments. The 2019 NEAFS President’s Banquet was particularly suited to his favorite indulgences with its “Roaring Twenties” theme. Fortuitously, Don found a cigar shop with walk-in humidor right around the corner from the meeting hotel, where he purchased the cigars used to complete the period theme costume. Always considerate and kind, Don bought the cigar that I am “smoking” as well.
The forensic toxicology community lost a valuable resource, an exceptional scientist, a dedicated toxicologist, and I have lost a dear friend - Donald Hoffman.
Peter Diaczuk