In his nominations, his peers described him as a humble, dedicated man with a passion for knowledge and sharing it. Those of us who believe we should get university credit for our conversations with him know what that means. He comes from a long line of distinguished Marianist scientists and educators beginning with Father Chaminade, himself a physics teacher.

It is difficult to overstate Don’s contributions to his research field. While few of us may have read his scientific papers, his professional peers certainly have. A quick check of a major biology database shows his work has been cited in professional journals more than 2,000 times. His work in understanding how substances move within plants has formed the basis for an entire generation of study.

His gift for learning and teaching in the Marianist way was recognized a couple of years ago by one of his University of Dayton colleagues, Dr. Jayne Robinson. In addressing the incoming class of 2007 about their duty to make their education relevant to the challenges of our time, Jayne described Don as an exemplar – someone who made the choice to care:

“Don, holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology and is a Marianist brother who in the Marianist spirit has always chosen to say yes! to the challenges presented to him … just as Mary did and changed the course of the world. The early 70s saw the Sahel, at the edge of the Sahara desert, experiencing a drought greatly worsened by careless use of land and natural resources. In response to this tragedy Don helped form a US-Canadian interdisciplinary team that from 1974 to 1980 provided help specifically to the rural tribal people of the Republic of Niger.

After nearly 3 decades, this program still provides education and training to the rural farmers of this country of over 11 million people. Closer to home, Brother Geiger has been active for decades in the restoration of tall grass prairies and wetlands, such as those that many UD students learn about on the grounds of the nearby Mount Saint John facility. … To quote Don, “while many believe that it is modern technology that keeps us alive and well, in fact we are quite dependent on the services of the natural processes of the earth to keep all that live on Earth alive and well.” Don adheres to the notion that social justice is the organization of institutions and communities to promote the common good.”

Jayne also recognized Don for what many of us believe may be a little unpublished, side research: he grows the biggest tomato plants most of us have ever seen. Their size match Don’s great big smile, which lights up his entire face as he recants a favorite story or pun!

It is thanks largely to Don and his ability to inspire others to his vision of our land as a place where people can encounter God through creation that we have the series of nature trails, the prairie near I-675, functioning wetlands and an increasingly healthy woodland. His dedication to Mount St. John is extraordinarily strong. He – along with Bro. Charlie Gausling and anyone else who wants to join him – has spent his Sunday afternoons for over a decade working in the woods removing honeysuckle, working in the community gardens, tending the trees in the front field, and planting prairie seeds.

This dedication is matched by his faithfulness to his friends, family and his Marianist community. Sr. Leanne Jablonski shared a note she sent to Don when she was a novice in San Antonio with the Marianist sisters, wondering about the role of scientists in the Catholic, Marianist world. Leanne received several handwritten pages of response, testifying to the importance of scientific gifts as a spiritual call to service for justice. Later, as Don’s student, she was concerned that with all the demands of being a young Marianist religious she wouldn’t be able to be a good scientist. For her, he set the bar and if she couldn’t be a scientist like he was, she wasn’t sure it was worth it! Don compassionately listened, humbly acknowledged his own shortcomings, and assured her that her gifts could take her on a different but equally important science path. He took considerable care to nurture this young Marianist – even prior to their meeting.

One of Don’s most notable attributes is at a time in his career when he could be resting on his considerable laurels, Don continues to explore new topics and begin new projects. He was the founding Director of the Marianist Environmental Education Center and is an active volunteer on the MEEC team. He also helped found the Beavercreek Wetlands Association and serves as trustee, he has coordinated the Perspectives on Global Environmental Issues cluster at UD, he coordinates the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative’s Ecology & Environment Issue Team, he served on the Miami Valley Open Space Council, his bird nest collection is currently on display at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, and he recently developed a new course on ecological restoration for UD. Ask him what he’s working on and the litany will invariably include a presentation for a community group.

Don has won the UD Outstanding Faculty Award, the UD Distinguished Alumni Award, the Arts & Sciences Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship, the Ohio Alliance for the Environment’s Environmental Education Award and an award from the Engineering and Science Foundation of Dayton.

We’re happy to add the Mount St. John Charism Award to this list.