Paul Sears
Encyclopedia
Paul Bigelow Sears was an American ecologist and writer. He was born in Bucyrus
, Ohio
. Sears attended Ohio Wesleyan University
(B.Sc. in Zoology, 1913; B.A. in Economics, 1914), the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (A.M. in Botany, 1915), and the University of Chicago
(Ph.D. in Botany, 1922).
Sears married Marjorie Lea McCutcheon on June 22, 1917, and their first child, Paul McCutcheon Sears, was born December 8, 1921. Two daughters were also born to the couple. Marjorie died October 31, 1982. Paul McCutcheon Sears died October 31, 1984.
Early in his research career, he published an innovative series on the Natural Vegetation of Ohio (1925 to 1926) These papers delineated the original forest types by using so-called “witness trees” from the original land surveys of Ohio and are still widely cited by plant ecologists working in Ohio today.
During the Dust Bowl
and his tenure at the University of Oklahoma, Sears wrote Deserts on the March, one of the first books to communicate ecological principles to the general public. His best known book, Deserts has gone through eleven printings of its four editions, most published by the University of Oklahoma Press. The first edition was last republished by Island Press in 1988 as part of its Conservation Classics series.
Also during the late 1920s and 1930s, Sears pioneered the study of fossil pollen as a cue to past vegetation and climate in the United States. One of his early students, Phyllis Draper, published the first American contribution to this developing field. Sears was the first to publish reference drawings of Lake Erie basin fossil pollen types, and published extensively in this field and inspired many students between 1930 and about 1950, by which time his interest in conservation and land use dominated his time.
In 1943, Sears independently initiated a publication, the Pollen Analysis Circular (later the Pollen and Spore Circular), to answer the “need of a freer interchange of information among those who are interested in pollen analysis in this country” during the period of restricted travel and professional meetings before and during the Second World War. Eighteen issues were mimeographed and distributed, ultimately, to more than 200 pollen researchers and interested scientists in North America and Europe. In issue 8, Sears reported on a suggestion by H.A. Hyde and D.A. Williams that this new science be named “palynology
,” a term for this new field which was ultimately adopted by his colleagues. After the end of the war, the circulars were discontinued. The final issue appeared in 1954. By 1967, researchers had formalized a new professional organization, the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists.
In 1950, Sears accepted the chairmanship of a new graduate program in Conservation at Yale University. The program was instigated and initially funded by the Conservation Foundation, of which Fairfield Osborn was head. An unprecedented interdisciplinary effort, this program produced several notable students, among them Paul Shepard
and Estella Leopold, daughter of Aldo Leopold
. Pioneer conservationist Leopold was a contemporary of Sears' who defined the land ethic
and inspired new generations of conservationists and environmentalists.
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public
, from 1954-1957.
In the mid 1960s, Sears retired to Taos, New Mexico, where he participated on local boards and committees, “taught dozens of local youngsters to play violin,” and “continued his work to make this planet a better place.” He died in the medical center at Plaza de Retiro on April 30, 1990.
Bucyrus
Bucyrus can refer to*Bucyrus International, a mining equipment manufacturerBucyrus is also the name of some places in the U.S.:*Bucyrus, Kansas*Bucyrus, Missouri*Bucyrus, North Dakota*Bucyrus, Ohio...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Sears attended Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
(B.Sc. in Zoology, 1913; B.A. in Economics, 1914), the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (A.M. in Botany, 1915), and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(Ph.D. in Botany, 1922).
Sears married Marjorie Lea McCutcheon on June 22, 1917, and their first child, Paul McCutcheon Sears, was born December 8, 1921. Two daughters were also born to the couple. Marjorie died October 31, 1982. Paul McCutcheon Sears died October 31, 1984.
Early in his research career, he published an innovative series on the Natural Vegetation of Ohio (1925 to 1926) These papers delineated the original forest types by using so-called “witness trees” from the original land surveys of Ohio and are still widely cited by plant ecologists working in Ohio today.
During the Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
and his tenure at the University of Oklahoma, Sears wrote Deserts on the March, one of the first books to communicate ecological principles to the general public. His best known book, Deserts has gone through eleven printings of its four editions, most published by the University of Oklahoma Press. The first edition was last republished by Island Press in 1988 as part of its Conservation Classics series.
Also during the late 1920s and 1930s, Sears pioneered the study of fossil pollen as a cue to past vegetation and climate in the United States. One of his early students, Phyllis Draper, published the first American contribution to this developing field. Sears was the first to publish reference drawings of Lake Erie basin fossil pollen types, and published extensively in this field and inspired many students between 1930 and about 1950, by which time his interest in conservation and land use dominated his time.
In 1943, Sears independently initiated a publication, the Pollen Analysis Circular (later the Pollen and Spore Circular), to answer the “need of a freer interchange of information among those who are interested in pollen analysis in this country” during the period of restricted travel and professional meetings before and during the Second World War. Eighteen issues were mimeographed and distributed, ultimately, to more than 200 pollen researchers and interested scientists in North America and Europe. In issue 8, Sears reported on a suggestion by H.A. Hyde and D.A. Williams that this new science be named “palynology
Palynology
Palynology is the science that studies contemporary and fossil palynomorphs, including pollen, spores, orbicules, dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, together with particulate organic matter and kerogen found in sedimentary rocks and sediments...
,” a term for this new field which was ultimately adopted by his colleagues. After the end of the war, the circulars were discontinued. The final issue appeared in 1954. By 1967, researchers had formalized a new professional organization, the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists.
In 1950, Sears accepted the chairmanship of a new graduate program in Conservation at Yale University. The program was instigated and initially funded by the Conservation Foundation, of which Fairfield Osborn was head. An unprecedented interdisciplinary effort, this program produced several notable students, among them Paul Shepard
Paul Shepard
Paul Howe Shepard, Jr. was an American environmentalist and author best known for introducing the "Pleistocene paradigm" to deep ecology. His works have attempted to establish a normative framework in terms of evolutionary theory and developmental psychology...
and Estella Leopold, daughter of Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold was an American author, scientist, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac , which has sold over two million copies...
. Pioneer conservationist Leopold was a contemporary of Sears' who defined the land ethic
Land ethic
A Land Ethic is a philosophy that guides your actions when you utilize or make changes to the land. This specific term was first coined by Aldo Leopold in his book A Sand County Almanac . Within this work, he wrote that there is a need for a "new ethic", an "ethic dealing with man's relation to...
and inspired new generations of conservationists and environmentalists.
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public
Society for Science & the Public
Society for Science & the Public , formerly known as Science Service, is a 5013 non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of science, through its science education programs and publications, including the weekly Science News magazine.Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization...
, from 1954-1957.
In the mid 1960s, Sears retired to Taos, New Mexico, where he participated on local boards and committees, “taught dozens of local youngsters to play violin,” and “continued his work to make this planet a better place.” He died in the medical center at Plaza de Retiro on April 30, 1990.
Career Chronology
- 1915-1919 Botany instructor, Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
- 1917-1919 Serves in U.S. Army
- 1919-1927 Botany professor, University of Nebraska
- 1927-1938 Chair of and Professor in Botany Department, University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
- 1936-1938 Columbia University Teachers College (on leave from Oklahoma)
- 1938-1950 Chair of and Professor in Botany Department, Oberlin CollegeOberlin CollegeOberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, Ohio - 1948 President of Ecological Society of AmericaEcological Society of AmericaThe Ecological Society of America is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States, ESA publishes a suite of publications, from peer-reviewed journals to newsletters, fact sheets and teaching resources. It holds an annual meeting at different locations in the...
- 1949 President of Ohio Academy of Science
- 1950-1960 Chair and Professor of Yale Conservation Program (graduate level)
- 1956 President of American Association of Science
- 1959 President of American Society of NaturalistsAmerican Society of NaturalistsThe American Society of Naturalists was founded in 1883 and is one of the oldest professional societies dedicated to the biological sciences in North America...
- 1963 Received the Richard Prentice Ettinger Award
- 1965 Named Eminent EcologistEminent Ecologist AwardThe Eminent Ecologist Award is prize awarded annually to a senior ecologist in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the science of ecology. The prize is awarded by the Ecological Society of America. According to the statutes, the recipient may be from any country in the world. However, in...
by the Ecological Society of AmericaEcological Society of AmericaThe Ecological Society of America is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States, ESA publishes a suite of publications, from peer-reviewed journals to newsletters, fact sheets and teaching resources. It holds an annual meeting at different locations in the...
External links
- Paul B. Sears Excerpt from Canright (1995), at American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists (AASP) website, link confirmed 11/5/11.
- Chrono-Biographical Sketch by Charles H. Smith, Western Kentucy University, link confirmed 11/5/11.
- Glacial and Postglacial Vegetation, 1935 paper by Paul B. Sears. Originally published in Botanical Review Vol 1:37-51. Online version confirmed 11/5/11.