Charles Edwin Bessey; David Macmillan Houghtelin

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume 22 Annual Issue Article 5

1915

In Memoriam: Charles Edwin Bessey; David MacMillan Houghtelin

L. H. Pammel

John L. Tilton

Recommended Citation Pammel, L. H. and Tilton, John L. (1915) "In Memoriam: Charles Edwin Bessey; David MacMillan Houghtelin," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 22(1), 11-16. Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol22/iss1/5

This General Interest Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa Academy of Science at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science by an authorized editor of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pammel and Tilton: In Memoriam: Charles Edwin Bessey; David MacMillan Houghtelin

IN Mm

IN ME~

DR. CHARLES J P L A-TE I L. H. F A host of friends throughou death of Dr. Charles Edwin BE ity as a teacher, investigator ai out this broad country of ours his death came as a shock, beca foundations for that broad sci enthusiastically to the science teaching profession, a life dev1 room and out of it. It was ii foll of sunshine and gladness. students at Ames who felt tha friend, ready always to do son dents he gave his best. H e ga ministrative work at Ames ar Chancellor A very says, ''His to the University organizatio1 the effort of thE; greater part < direct personal loss to studen among whom he number ed h Daily Nebraskan of Mar ch 1st D r . Cha r les E dw in Bessey. philosophy of life is formed, own expression, in the word ' ' 11 Doctor Bessey was al ways t fance 'YiH1 him I never heard I one. Though he differed in op persons, he tempered his r emar that the man or woman had sp. says " He even sought to temp He was devoted' to his family : botanist owes his success to th

Published by UNI ScholarWorks, 1915 1 Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1915], No. 1, Art. 5

IN MEMORIAM 11,

IN MEMORIAM

DR. CHARLES EDWIN BESSEY. PLA-TE I L. H. PAMMEL. A host of friends throughout this land were grieved at the death of Dr. Charles Edwin Bessey, whose long years of activ ity as a teacher, investigator and citizen, were known through out this broad country of ours. To his many friends in Iowa his death came as a shock, because it was here that he laid the, foundations for that broad scientific life, a life devoted most enthusiastically to the science of botany, a life devoted to the teaching profession, a life devoted to the student in the class room and uut of it. It was indeed a purposeful life, always full of sunshine and gladness. There were many of the older students at Ames wh~ felt that Dr. Bessey was their personal friend, ready always to do something for them. To these. stu dents he gave his best. He gave some of his best years to ad ministrative work at Ames and the University of Nebraska. Chancellor Avery says, "His death is not only a misfortune to the University organization, in the upbuilding of which the effort of thE;i greater part of his life was 'Spent; but also a direct personal loss to students, alumni, and faculty people among whom he numbered his friends by hundreds." The Daily Nebraskan of March 1st says that the summation of the n Bessey. philosophy of life is formed, according to Professor Bessey's own expression, in the word ''love''. Doctor Bessey was always temperate. In my long acquain tance 'Yit1'1. him I never heard· him say an unkind thing of any one. Though he differed in opinion or may have disliked some persons, he tempered his remarks so as to leave the impression that the man or woman had splendid qualities. Professor Pool says "He even sought to temper criticism whenever possible.". He was devoted to. his family and his friends. Many a young botanist owes his success to the help Doctor Bessey gave him.

https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol22/iss1/5 2 Pammel and Tilton: In Memoriam: Charles Edwin Bessey; David MacMillan Houghtelin

12 IOWA ACADJllMY OF SCIENCE

He was an inspiring teacher and always youthful. I last met him at the quarter centennial celebration of the Missouri Botanical Garden last October. _Though perhaps not as vigor j ous as formerly he was as enthusiastic as when I met him more I than a quarter of a century ago. It was his lmbounded en

thusiasm that made him such a successful teacher. It enlisted \ 1 a large number of men to study botany. ) j Professor R. J. Pool says, ''To have met with him was to ! honor him; to have been taught by him was a priceless privi- '1 . lege; to have been intimately associated with him and to have walked with him into the fields and gardens and to have re ceived from him an insight into the great realm of which. he was master was to have been led very close to the Great· OmJiip otent. who causes the snowflakes to fall, 0, so softly, when olir beloved friend -passes beyond the great divide where nothing .but flowerland and love will greet him." Doctor Bessey was linked to Iowa in mal)-y ways. He was called to Iowa StateCollege as Professor of Botany and Zool~gy in 1870 and served until 1884. The State University of low~ l conferred on him the Ph.D. degree in 1879, and Grinnell College the degree of-LL.D. in 1898. iHe received the B.S. degree fron;i. I Michigan Agriculturai College in 1869" and the 'M.S. degree i;n J 1872. He was born in Milton, Ohio, May 21,· 1845, being at the time of his death scarcely seventy years old. One would think years of usefulness were still ahead of him. The last visit I paid Dr. Bessey was a little more than a ,year ago and I was told· he was away in Arizona studying some plant physio logical problems. Many honors were given to him. He was president of the Old Iowa Academy of Sciences and one of its founders, and it is natural that he should have associated him~ self with the New Iowa Academy of Science and should hav~ presented a paper on the Trees of Nebraska at a meeting at Am.es inaugurating botanical quarters in the New Central Bu~lding standing. where the old Main Building stood and where thirty-five years before he gave lectures on botany. He was also president of the Botanical Society of America 1896; the Miscroscopical Society 1901; the Society for the Pro~ motion of Agricultural Science 1889-1891. He was a member of the leading scientific societies of the United States_ and Europe. )·.f

Published by UNI ScholarWorks, 1915 3 Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1915], No. 1, Art. 5

INMEM

Doctor Bessey published m bodied the results of searchii The last paper was one on ' ' Flowering Plants,'' which wai tennial Celebration of the Missc His reputation rested largel published while Professor at J eral editions. Later only his lished. 'rhis was revised wit Ernest Bessey as the ' ' Essent embodied his views of how be elaborated particularly parts a PLATE II plants. For many years he · American Naturalist and of S botanical notes he frequently papers. Doctor Bessey has left his i by his writing ·and teaching an of its most sincere men, a frien

THE ' REVEREND DAVID J

JOHN L. David MacMillan Houghtelin January 14, 1872, and died a Moines, Iowa, June 3, 1913, ag ate of Baker University, Bak graduate of Boston Universit;} 1900, and a graduate student Scotland, in 1908. Most of th Reverend David MacMillan Houghtelin. devoted to the work of the m time of his death his life was Methodist Hospital at Des Moin, tific work his interest in sciem ''associate'' member of the Io-w retaining his membership till 1 death of Mr. Houghtelin the 1 many friends whose attitude work is greatly appreciated bJ state.

https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol22/iss1/5 4 Pammel and Tilton: In Memoriam: Charles Edwin Bessey; David MacMillan Houghtelin

IN MEMORIAM 13

Doctor Bessey published much. · Many of the papers . em bodied the results of searching investigation and reflection. The last paper was one on ''The Phylogenetic Taxonomy of Flowering Plants,'' which was delivered at the Quarter Cen tennial Celebration of the Missouri Botanical Garden. His reputation rested largely on his Text Book of Botany, published while Professor at Ames. This passed through sev eral editions. Later only his Essentials of Botany was pub lisp.ed. This was revised with the collaboration of his son Ernest Bessey as the ''Essentials of College Botany.'' This embodied his views of how botany should be taught, and he elaborated particularly parts dealing with the classification of PLATE II plants. For many years he was one of the editors of The .American Naturalist and of Science. In addition to various botanical notes he fr\)quently reviewed important botanical papers. Doctor Bessey has left his impression on .American botany by his writing ·and teaching and botanical science has lost one of its most sincere men, a friend and a great teacher.

THE' REVEREND DAVID MAcMILL.AN HOUGHTELIN. JOHN L. TILTON. David MacMillan Houghtelin was born at Gettysburg, Penn., January 14, 1872, and died at the Methodisf Hospital, Des Moines, Iowa, June 3, 1913, aged 41 years. He was a gradu ate of Baker University, Baldwin, Kansas, class of 1896, a graduate of Boston University School of Theology, class of 1900, and a graduate student· at the University of. Glasgow, Scotland, in 1908. Most of the years since grauuation were Houghtelin. devoted to the work of the ministry, but from 1910 till the time of his death his life was devoted to the interests of the Methodist Hospital at Des Moines. While not engaged in scien tific work his interest in science was such that he became an ''associate'' member of the Iowa .Academy of Science in 1912, retaining his membership till the time of his death. In the death of Mr. Houghtelin the .Acadamy has lost one of those many friends whose attitude of sympathy toward scientific. work is greatly appreciated by the scientific workers of the state. J'!I

Published by UNI ScholarWorks, 1915 5