Resolution of Respect_

Vladimir Joseph Krajina lands during 1929-1930, he com (1905-1993) pleted for his Docent degree a two A Tribute part, 408-page monograph on the plant communities of the Tatra A bright light that had shone in Mountains in 1933. The Second the ecological theater for many de World War burst on the European cades went out on 1 June 1993 when scene shortly thereafter. In addition Dr. Vladimir Joseph Krajina died in to changing his life in a substantive Vancouver, British Columbia. In his way, the 250-page manuscript deal passage, North America, indeed the ing with soils and microclimates of world, lost a most illustrious botanist his Tatra Mountain study was de and ecologist. He became a member stroyed by the Gestapo in 1939. of the Ecological Society of America Professor Krajina was a major in 1949, the same year he arrived in player in the Allied resistance effort North America. For the next 44 years during the Second World War. At on this continent, he further enriched what point and under what circum the fields of botany, ecology, and for stances he was drawn into it remains estry in a remarkable way. a mystery to me. I have had much in Born on 5 January 1905 in terest (though none of the scholar Slavice, a small Moravian village in ship) in the politics and history of the [Photo by Ralph Bower of the Czechoslovakia, he was drawn to the world. I tried to draw him into a dis Vancouver Sun, reprinted with diversity of flora and fauna at a very cussion on how he got so immersed permission.] early age, "like a moth to the flame," in politics during an evening or two as he once reminisced. A gifted and on our field trips. "Someday," he Krajina "was not only anti-Nazi; he bright student of nature and natural would say, and change the topic. One was also anti-totalitarian ... for that sciences, his interest in plant tax particular evening, I made a very se reason communists were about to de onomy began when he was 12, and rious effort, with a degree of prepara stroy him. They were responsible for his first paper was published at 19. tion: dates, places, names, and all. I his capture by the Gestapo on Janu He received his doctorate from asked him to comment on two books ary 31, 1943 . . . [Krajina] took poi Charles University in Prague at the by Josef Korbel, the last Foreign son but the Gestapo pumped him out. young age of 22 under the tutelage Minister before Czechoslovakia fell I may add that his brother was ex of Karel Domin. He joined the fac to the Communists. (After the Com ecuted by the Gestapo in 1942, that ulty there and, in time, rose to be munists took over his country, Mr. his son died here in the Air Force in come Professor of Botany and Head Korbel settled in the United States; 1941, and that his wife was thrust of what must have been the first his daughter, Dr. Madeleine into the abominable camp of and only Department of Plant Soci Albright, is the current United States Ravensbruck" (Korbel 1959). ology and Ecology in the world. His Ambassador to the United Nations.) After the War ended, his wartime first faculty appointment coincided Danger in Kashmir (1954) dealt with activities were investigated, and his with the landmark publication in my native place and The Communist conduct found "beyond reproach." 1929 of Josius Braun-Blanquet's Subversion of Czechoslovakia (1959) He was awarded the highest order of Pflanzensoziologie: Grundz?ge der dealt with his. But, alas, to no avail. merit by the President of the Czecho Vegetationskunde. He nicely, but firmly, declined to slovak Republic. He became the Sec His doctoral dissertation dealt comment. retary-General of the National So with the systematics of the genus As a leader of the Unified Czech cialist Party in 1945 and was elected Festuca and he continued his work Resistance (Ustredni vybor odboje as a member of the parliament. in taxonomy and systematics domaciho, UVOD) movement from When Czechoslovakia lost her inde throughout his career. His interest, 1939-1945 against the Nazis, he pro pendence on 10 July 1947, his case however, was much more in commu vided most valuable and substantial was reopened by the Communists, he nity organization and in 1927, he information to the Allies throughout was tried in absentia, and given a 25 started meticulously collecting data the war. Describing the "glorious" year prison term. His escape from the on plant communities and their soil deeds of Professor Krajina in the country has been described as "mi relationships. After his return from a British House of Lords on 23 No raculous." Details of his and his sabbatical leave in the Hawaiian Is vember 1949, Lord Vansittart noted: family's escape through "ski slopes

194 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America

This content downloaded from 128.95.104.109 on Sat, 28 Apr 2018 23:08:59 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms with one suit case full of clothes, the At UBC, he directed the work of 24 tribute in a film production titled other full of papers," to Vancouver, doctoral and 9 Master's students; "Vladimir Krajina and Forests" Canada via Great Britain have never their names and thesis titles are (1978), Member, Order of Canada been divulged. given elsewhere (see Wali 1988). (1981), UBC's Doctor of Science On arrival in Vancouver, he ap There were also some programs that honoris causa, the Douglas H. proached the University of British he guided at the University of Ha Pimlot Award of the Canadian Na Columbia (UBC) for a position and waii. As extremely gracious and ur ture Federation (1982), and the es became a Lady Davis Foundation bane as he was in personal relations, tablishment of the V. J. Krajina Fellow and Special Lecturer. He re he was also a very demanding Chair by the UBC Faculty of Forestry sisted, with noticeable pain, discuss teacher and researcher. (1990). In 1990, President Vaclav ing the war, its atrocities, and his His efforts to convince the provin Havel presented him with the highest personal suffering, noting that "it cial government of British Columbia possible civilian honor, the Czecho was now a matter of the past," and he to establish ecological reserves must slovak "Order of the White Lion." applied himself with single-minded be spectacular. Drawing on his eco After Krajina, President Francois devotion to the pursuit of ecological logical prowess and the timely usher Mitterand of France received the studies. A thorough field botanist, he ing in of the International Biological same distinction (Griffin 1990). walked through the length and Programme, he tirelessly lobbied the How does one place an epitaph on breadth of the province of British legislature. The British Columbia a life story so rich but varied, to a ca Columbia and was much fascinated Reserves Act passed in 1971 and the reer so illustrious, on an ecologist so by the diversity of its vegetation, legislative mandate emphasized that gifted, and on a man so generous and soils, and fauna. the "Ecological Reserves should not urbane? And a close and comfortable It took him a decade to mentally be confused with parks or other types association, cherished for 27 years, is map vegetation of the province, ex of recreational areas, historical or ar not without emotion. Perhaps no amine the microclimatic nuances, cheological sites, and wildlife man post-script is needed except to echo and propose a bioclimatic zonal clas agement areas. They are areas of the the words of the Bard: "This was a sification (1959), later revised as the Crown land set aside for . . . man!" biogeoclimatic zones (1965). During scientific research and educational this time, he also conducted some purposes to study nature in an undis Literature Cited pioneering physiological studies on turbed environment; Ceska, A. 1993. Prof. Vladimir the nutritional requirements of major benchmarks against which to mea Krajina died. Botanical Elec British Columbia conifer species sure the effects of change created by tronic News (BEN), 7 June. (Douglas-fir, western hemlock, sitka man or nature; Griffin, K. 1990. Czechs finally rec spruce, and western red cedar). The banks of genetic materials; ognize resistance war hero. The vegetation classification scheme preserving rare, unique, and en Vancouver Sun, 3 April, Bl, B8. combined a remarkable blend of eco dangered native plants or animals in Jenik, J. 1992. Professor Vladimir J. logical concepts proposed before their natural surroundings." Krajina?Honorary Member of him: community change in a broad Today, there are 134 ecological the Czechoslovak Botanical Soci geographic sense of Clements, the reserves in British Columbia, cover ety. Preslia, Praha 64:291-311. "state factor" approach of Hans ing a total of 160,000 ha (Ceska Korbel, J. 1954. Danger in Kashmir. Jenny, the Braun-Blanquet and 1993). Ecological Reserve Number Princeton University Press, "southern European" tradition of 45 (9,834 ha) at Port Chanal on the Princeton, New Jersey, USA. phytosociology, the biogeocoenotic west coast of Graham Island was -. 1959. The Communist sub concepts of the Russians, and the named the Vladimir J. Krajina Re version of Czechoslovakia. pedological schema of Kubiena (see serve. "I suspect that this [the estab Princeton University Press, Wali 1988). His research career, lishment of ecological reserves] may Princeton, New Jersey, USA. which spanned nearly 70 years, in be the grandest development of its Wali, M. K. 1988. Reflections on the cluded landmark papers both in plant kind on this continent," noted Frank life, work, and times of Vladimir systematics and ecology. A complete Egler (personal communication). Joseph Krajina. Canadian Journal listing of his contributions is avail After his retirement, honors of Botany 66:2605-2619. able (Wali 1988, Jenik 1992). flowed. Among them were the His interest in graduate education George Lawson Medal for "notable Mohan K. Wali was genuine, indeed phenomenal. He contributions to the advancement of School of Natural Resources accepted graduate students soon after Canadian botany" by the Canadian The Ohio State University he began his career at UBC and this Botanical Association (1972), the Columbus, OH 43210 continued well after his retirement. National Film Board of Canada's

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