In the late ’20s, Patel’s father and uncle had sailed from India planning to settle in South Africa. But a change in immigration policy, which occurred while they were en route, prompted them to settle in Mozambique instead. (His mother emigrated from India in the early ’30s.)

“Someone once asked me, ‘Why were you born in Mozambique?’ ‘Well, I had this need to be near my mother,’” he quipped.

In Mozambique, Patel was educated primarily in the Portuguese schools. He also went part-time to schools that the Indian community had established to teach Indian language and culture. His parents wanted him to go to a university in Europe, but a teacher at the Indian school in Mozambique, “got me all fired up about going to India for my cultural needs,” Patel said. And so he did. An unintended consequence of that decision eventually put him on a course to the United States.

At Washington University in St. Louis — inspired by the “charismatic professor and quintessential scholar” Viktor Hamburger — he switched to basic science and earned both his A.B. and Ph.D. By 1967, he was being courted by SUNY-Buffalo, California, Chicago, Nebraska and Georgia Tech. Immediately following an interview at Tech, he received a call from UGA, inviting him back to Georgia for an interview, where “they made me an offer I could not turn down,” he said.

And he has been a “bulldawg” ever since.

“Gordhan is a dedicated bulldog and strong advocate for students, faculty and staff. [He is] always committed to doing the right thing and [is] a consummate gentleman,” said Karen Holbrook, a friend, former colleague at UGA and now president of Ohio State University. “He has a national following of admirers and friends, and I'm proud to be among them.”

Patel stresses that UGA was home to some excellent researchers long before it became known as a top-flight research institution. Among them: the late Eugene Odum, often called the “father of modern ecology,” who joined the faculty in the ’40s; the late George H. Boyd, a noted parasitologist and dean of the graduate school in the ’50s for whom the Boyd Graduate Studies Research Center is named; and the late Harry Peck, a former head of the biochemistry department in the ’50s and ’60s.

For the retired vice president, the notion of research encompasses a broad range of scholarly activity.

“When we talk about research, it’s not just the hard sciences,” he said. “No university will ever be a great university unless it is strong across all the disciplines — the arts and humanities, the social sciences and the professional areas.”

As fall classes began, Patel was getting his first taste of retirement in Athens, with his wife, Jinx, whom he met at Washington University.

“I admire Gordhan and consider him to be a ‘Renaissance Man,’ a true academician and a leader, always fair and willing to confront and solve difficult problems,” said Jinx Patel, who runs a biological company in Athens. “He is a wonderful and loving father, grandfather, husband — and my best friend for over 40 years.”

And he is a man of clear priorities. “My career has always come after my family and friends,” he said. Daughter Elizabeth, her husband, Anthony DeMarco, an ophthalmologist, and their two children live in Athens. Younger daughter Krishna is finishing her residency in otolaryngology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Among the Patels’ close friends are several couples who call themselves “the usual suspects,” and spend a lot of time together, according to Margaret Holt, retired UGA professor of adult education and longtime group member.

“Gordhan is a central figure in this friendship” she said, and through the years has always made time for the group. “We’ve watched and applauded his tremendous accomplishments, and I can say none of his promotions and assignments have altered whatsoever his commitment to our friendships.”

Tack Cornelius is a Gainesville, Ga.-based freelance writer.