Francis Claffey Award

Dr. Francis Claffey joined the SUNY Brockport faculty in 1946 after serving as a biologist for the National Park Service. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine and his master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts. He obtained his PhD in freshwater biology from Oklahoma State University.

In 1948, The Stylus selected Dr. Claffey as an outstanding example of faculty willingness to aid students in need of more assistance than they received in class. He was an advisor to the Newman Club and participated in other campus activities, such as the college-wide scholarship committee.

In 1953 he took a two-year leave to research water pollution in Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma and the U.S. Department of Conservation sponsored his work, which became the basis for his dissertation. He returned to the Brockport faculty in September 1955. Dr. Claffey passed away in 1972.

The Francis Claffey Award recognizes an outstanding student who is majoring in biology at SUNY Brockport. To qualify for this award, students must be rising seniors who are majoring in biology, have a GPA of at least 3.0, and have completed at least 15 credit hours of the major requirements in biology at Brockport.