2007 Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award Recipient – Angus K. Gholson, Jr.
By Schmalzer, Paul
Angus K. Gholson. Jr. Angus K. Gholson, Jr. of Chattahoochee, Florida received the 2007 Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award at the annual meeting of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society at the University of South Carolina on April 20, 2007.
The Society annually presents the Award in memory of Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew’s untiring service to the public, to plant systematics, and to SABS. This award is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves in professional and public service that advances our knowledge and appreciation of the world of plants and their scientific, cultural, and aesthetic values.
The 2007 award was presented to Angus Gholson in recognition of his contributions that include decades of study of the flora of the Florida Panhandle and adjacent states that has greatly increased the understanding of the plants of this region and contributed to the discovery of several new species. In this endeavor he has developed a herbarium of more than 17, 000 specimens from the Panhandle of Florida and adjacent states that is a unique resource for organizing and sharing information with researchers and students from many institutions and countries. His knowledge of and enthusiasm for the plants and environments of the region has been transmitted through the countless field trips he has lead for environmental organizations, college classes, and public education for more than 40 years, contributing to scientific inventories of important conservation sites including the J.W. Jones Ecological Research Center, the Apalachicola National Forest, and the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve. He has worked effectively for the conservation and restoration of unique sites including The Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve.
Angus Gholson, Jr. is a native of Chattahoochee, Florida where his family has lived for generations. He attended high school there and was quarterback of the football team. He served in World War II in the Army Air Force; after which he attended the University of Florida and received a degree in forestry in 1948. He returned to Chattahoochee and worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for more than 30 years, which included a decade as manager of the Lake Woodruff reservoir on the Apalachicola River.
Angus is a citizen-scientist who developed an expertise in the plants of the Florida Panhandle region through decades of effort. He worked with university scientists such as the late Dr. Robert Godfrey and Dr. Loran Anderson of Florida State University to explore the flora of this region, discovering several new species of plants. He assisted The Nature Conservancy in conservation and restoration of the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve. He has participated in the scientific inventories of important conservation sites such as the J.W. Jones Ecological Research Center (Ichauway) and sections of the Apalachicola National Forest. His personal herbarium will become part of the University of Florida Herbarium. In 2003, the City of Chattahoochee dedicated the Angus K. Gholson, Jr. Nature Park. Two plants now bear his name, Liatris gholsonii and Carex gholsonii. He has received awards from the Florida Native Plant Society, The Nature Conservancy, and other organizations.
The Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award
PURPOSE
Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew 1912-1985 served as the secretary of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club (now Society) from 1946 until 1981. Her life was devoted to plants, and she transferred her interest in plants and nature to students of all ages and walks of life. The Southern Appalachian Botanical Society SABS annually presents the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award in memory of her untiring service to the public, to plant systematics, and to this organization. This Award is presented to individuals who have also distinguished themselves in professional and public service that advances our knowledge and appreciation of the world of plants and their scientific, cultural, and aesthetic values, and/or in exceptional service to the Society.
TO NOMINATE A DESERVING COLLEAGUE FOR THE 2008 BARTHOLOMEW AWARD,
PLEASE GO TO THE SABS WEBSITE [www.sabs.appstate.edu] OR FILL OUT THE PRINTED FORM BELOW AND MAIL IT TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BARTHOLOMEW AWARD COMMITTEE BY FEBRUARY 1, 2008. SABS MEMBERS MAY NOMINATE MORE THAN ONE PERSON.
-Paul Schmalzer, Dynamac Corporation; Chair, Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award Committee.
Copyright Southern Appalachian Botanical Society Sep 2007
(c) 2007 Castanea. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.