Hugh H. Iltis, Recipient of the 1994 Award Author(s): Jacquelyn A. Kallunki Source: Systematic , Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1995), pp. 1-5 Published by: American Society of Plant Taxonomists Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2419627 Accessed: 02/09/2010 13:26

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http://www.jstor.org SystematicBotany (1995), 20(1): pp. 1-5 K Copyright1995 by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists

Hugh H. Iltis -Recipient of the 1994 Asa Gray Award

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Hugh H. Iltis, February1993. Photo by BrentNicastro.

JACQUELYN A. KALLUNKI The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx,New York 10458-5126

Cantankerous, opinionated, blustery,irrev- an early age-he maintained a wild-flowergar- erent, abrasive, tendentious, outrageous, ex- den, he regularlyvisited the local botanical gar- hausting, stimulating,enraging, inspirational, den (to which he had season passes), and from intellectual, single-minded, passionate, flam- age 10 he collected plants and amassed a small boyant. Journalistshave, thus, described Hugh herbarium,each sheet with proper labels and Iltis and his lectures on conservation issues, Latin names. In 1946, he sold it to Lloyd Shin- which have broughthim public attention.Per- ners to help finance his attendance at the Uni- haps only those close to him are aware of his versityof Tennessee. These specimens (ca. 1000) charming, supportive, and generous side and became partof the SMU (now BRIT) herbarium. of his caring encouragementof many students. His father,Hugo, was a botanist,an educator, Hugh was born in , , on and a preservationist.Among his publications 7 April 1925. With his parents and brother,he are a paper on the abnormalitiesinduced in spent many summervacations in a rentedmon- by corn smut, a biography of , astery (long-abandoned by the monks) in the and a book of photographs of the vegetation mountains of Bohemia. Here, he hiked many types of Central Europe (the firstvolume of a miles, botanizing with his father,who drilled series that he envisioned would cover the veg- him on plant names. He became a botanist at etation types of the world). In Brno, he taught

1 2 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY [Volume 20

biology at the high school and at the Institute doing field work for his Flora ofMissouri. Stey- of Technology and, in 1920, founded a "peo- ermarkwas actively involved in conservation ple's university,"an adult education institute, and contributedto Hugh's growing awareness of which the mottowas "enlightenmentto the of the need forand methods of preservationof people." He attemptedto preserve rare species natural habitats.While a student,a field tripto of plants by preservingpieces of their habitat. Costa Rica, Hugh's firstto the tropics, trans- Hugo was also a Jew and an active member formedhis life-longappreciation of natureinto of the far left-wing Social Democratic Party, an ardent desire to save it. affiliationsthat placed him among the enemies After receiving his Ph.D. in 1952 and sub- of the rising Nazis. Because of his activismand sequently teaching for three years at the Uni- his writings (e.g., "The Myth of Blood and versityof Arkansas, Fayetteville,he landed at Race"), by 1934 he was a hunted man. In 1938, the Universityof Wisconsin, Madison, in 1955 the familyleft Brno forthe ;Hugo as AssistantProfessor of Botanyand Curatorof flew straightto England for fear of being de- the Herbarium. tained by the German authorities,but Hugh, Hugh's taxonomic research has focused on his mother, and his brother rode the train the Capparidaceae and on Zea. He has identified through Germany,with some trepidation but specimens of Capparidaceae formany scientists no mishaps. They settled in Virginia, where for many years and has published or has in Hugh continued his botanical career. preparation treatmentsof the family for Flora Aftera year at the Universityof Tennessee, Neotropicaand for the florasof Nicaragua, the Hugh was draftedby the U.S. Armyand spent Guianas, Dominica, , and Mesoamerica. two years (1944-46) of World War II in Europe His research on the origin of , his co- as an intelligencespecialist. Upon discharge,he discoveryof diploid perennial teosinte,and his returnedto the Universityof Tennessee. Here, "catastrophicsexual transmutationtheory" have A. J.Sharp's grim stories of the population ex- stimulated much discussion and research on plosion and forestdestruction in Mexico were maize. "This theoryalso pointed out some crit- among the firstto impress on Hugh the nega- ical failing in earlier theories on the origin of tive ecological consequences of increases in the maize and has forced some of the widely held human population. He received his B.A. in 1948 views of Drs. Paul Mangelsdorf and George and moved to St. Louis to pursue his Ph.D. at Beadle to be reconsideredor rejected.He clearly Washington University and the Missouri Bo- has been one of the major contributorsto the tanical Garden. study of maize evolution over the past twenty- As ResearchAssistant to RobertWoodson, his five years." [John Doebley]* His contribution job was to curate the MO herbarium.He began to the field was recognized in 1990 by the ded- by sortingspecimens forfiling, a task that had ication to him of Volume 35 of Maydica, the not been done since 1943 when staffbecame InternationalJournal of Maize Research. shortduring the War.Woodson and JulianStey- Hugh regularly taught graduate courses in ermarkwere among the influences in his pro- biogeography,taxonomy of grasses,and history fessional life during this period. Woodson of botany. His enthusiasm and dramatic flair steered Hugh to the Capparidaceae, initially made his legendarybiogeography class exciting suggesting that he monograph Capparisfor his and memorable.The totalimmersion in the dis- thesis. Because of the great number of species section and keying of species required in his and the factthat a given herbariumsheet usu- grass class very effectivelyimpressed on stu- ally bore only a single flower (which he was dents the kinds of skills and personal qualities loathe to dissect), Hugh rejected this genus as required to be a taxonomist."Hugh weaves to- an impracticalone for a student to tackle and gethera remarkableamount of informationfrom chose the Cleomoideae (usually with several seemingly disparate fieldsand so demonstrates flowersper sheet). As a result of his study,he to his studentsthe criticalconnections that uni- hypothesized extremely rapid evolution by stringentselection within the desertannuals of * This and other quotes in this paper are taken from this group in Death Valley, an idea still contro- letterswritten in support of Hugh's nomination for versial today. Hugh spent much time botaniz- the Award and appear here with the permission of ing in the Ozarks with Steyermark,who was the writers. 1995] KALLUNKI: 1994 ASA GRAY AWARD 3 fy biology.... [He] has ardently and consis- in the Arboretum)and saw that I was aware of tently striven to inform and educate his stu- importantmeetings or developmentsin tropical dents as to the importance of integrating forestry.... More than any other professor I knowledge of taxonomy,biogeography, ecolo- have worked with over the years, Hugh pro- gy, and evolution." [Don Waller] vided constant intellectual support and en- He taught informallyas well-in the her- couragement." [Julie Denslow] He broadened barium, the field, and the corridors of Birge the botanically parochial view of many mid- Hall-as noted by some ex-students:"I can re- westernstudents to include the tropicalworld, membermany, perhaps too many,sessions that and several have gone on to successfulresearch would begin with a 'Looky here,c'mere, c'mere, careers in tropical botany. could you help me a minute, just 10 min- Hugh's systematicresearch and his teaching utes....' Then would begin a session of up to and advising of studentsrequired a strongher- 4 hours of helping edit one of his scientific bariumwith a representationof the world's flo- papers, a conservationspeech or article,or cur- ra. Often faced with little support, he perse- ating the herbarium."[Mike Nee] "I found my- vered, and under his direction the Herbarium self ... in the Sierra de Manantlan, tryingdes- became one of the finestuniversity herbaria. perately not to fall too far behind as I pressed The teosinte seed bank kept at the Herbarium the plants he flungmy way. 'Make 10 sheets of has provided scientiststhroughout the world that!' he cried. They were my firstbotanical with genetic material for experimental work. specimens, my baptism as a tropical botanist." Almost single-handedly,he amassed the eclec- [George Schatz] "There was many an evening ticand valuable Herbariumlibrary of morethan when franticallytrying to pursue research on 100,000 items. The Herbarium was and is an my thesis I would be cornered by Hugh and active place; it is trulya tool for research and lecturedon botanicaltopics. Hours laterI would teaching. be released. The late night lecturesfrom Hugh "Long beforeit was fashionable,Iltis fostered Iltis cannot be found in any textbookor journal. the development of independent strengthin What he has to offercomes straightfrom his science in Latin America. He has worked with memory and ... knowledge. Regardless of the dozens of institutionsthroughout Latin Amer- topic, I always leftwith greaterconfidence and ica and made a very strongcontribution to the a more positive attitude toward my botanical development of science there to a degree that pursuits." [JimSmith] few have achieved.... he was a true pioneer in As advisorto 36 students- 19 receivedan M.S. this field...." [Peter Raven] Because of his in- and 17 a Ph.D. under his guidance, he made terestin the botany of Mexico and in the de- lastingimpressions on the studentsand the field velopment of Mexican botanists,he arranged of systematicbotany. "Generous with his time for several Mexican students to study at the and advice, armed with an incredible knowl- Universityof Wisconsin. Some of them,as well edge of traditionalmethods of systematics,bio- as other students,were honored by invitations geography,floristics, and botanical history,he to stay at his home, sometimes for a semester has contributedimmensely to the shaping of at a time. many careers. Rather than forcingstudents to While systematicresearch, teaching, training work as technicians on his own research inter- graduate students,and developing a fine her- ests,he has always encouraged them to develop barium are activitiesfor which most recipients independent lines of inquiry while offering of the Asa Gray Award have been acknowl- steadfastintellectual and moralsupport for their edged, Hugh's more particularcontribution to studies." [Bil Alverson] the Society's goals are his outspoken conser- He did not limit his attentionto his "own" vation efforts.In this endeavor, he combined students; all were fair game. "Although I was his scientificknowledge of systematics,ecolo- not a plant taxonomy student, Hugh was one gy, and evolution, his passionate love of the of my most remembered mentors at Wiscon- naturalworld, and his impressivelanguage skills sin.... He was a never-endingsource of infor- to produce some of the most eloquent, persua- mation, reprints,connections and opportuni- sive writings and speeches on environmental ties. He introduced me to visiting tropical bi- issues ever to come froma taxonomist. ologists (oftenat his famousparties at his house Even in 1955, when Hugh arrived in Madi- 4 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY [Volume 20 son, the State of Wisconsin had a long-estab- niversary(1990), he received "for outstanding lished traditionof preservationand a systemof service to the Hawaiian environment"the Con- state-administeredscientific areas. That the state servation Award of the Conservation Council was ultimatelyresponsible for preservationof of Hawaii. Following his involvement in the naturewas to Hugh a new way of thinkingand discoveryof diploid perennial teosintein 1977, one that he found refreshing.In his firstcon- he played a pivotal role in the establishmentof servation-orientedpaper in 1959,to supportthe the Reserva de la Biosferade Manantlan, which need formore scientificareas he used the usual included the habitat of this rare teosinte. For utilitarianarguments, e.g., their usefulness in this effort,he received in 1987, the Presidential teaching and research and in the preservation Award fromthe Republic of Mexico. "Given the of species with as yet undiscovered uses as food very populist land tenure law in Mexico, the and medicines. As early as 1964, however, he reallocation of so much land to research and was among the firstto argue that the most pro- conservationis a majorpolitical event in Mexico found reason why we should preserve the nat- thatmany Americans underestimate. Such land ural world was the genetic adaptation and con- conservationmeasures usually must be given a sequent innate need of humans for natural domestic political focus by national and state beauty and diversity.He gave many lectures (Guadalajara) leadership. It is a very great trib- and wrote many papers on this idea at a time ute, therefore,to Prof.Iltis's scientificand pub- when it was an unpopular idea to promote.The lic reputationin Mexico that he, despite being cover page of his copy of E. 0. Wilson's Bio- a foreigner,was asked to give the dedication philiabears Wilson's inscription,"To HHI, the address (in Spanish) with the Presidentof Mex- pioneer in the field." He was also among the ico in attendance.... throughthis process Hugh firstto argue thatsystematic and environmental was being acclaimed as one of Mexico's own." biologists, because of their specialized knowl- [Orie Loucks] In 1992, he received the National edge, had a social responsibility to fight for Conservation Achievement Award from the preservation.Because preservation,to him,was National Wildlife Federation in recognitionof possible only with some curb on the predations his life-longcontribution to the field. of mankind, he outspokenly advocated popu- His role in all aspects of his career has been, lation controland oftenfound himselfin a con- and is, to stir people up-to instill in students troversialposition. an appreciation of the systematics,biogeogra- He believes thatman can and must choose to phy, and evolution of plants and of the stories save the naturalworld. "Since modernscientific thattheir synthesis has to tell,to impartto north- man, who generally dies in bed and of old age, temperatesouls a passion for the tropical flora is the only animal that has to adapt throughwill and a desire to do the hard work necessary to ratherthan throughfate (since for him natural study its diversity,to impress upon funding selection has all but ceased to operate), it is sources the necessityof an active herbariumat importantthat he understandthe rulesby which the Universityof Wisconsin,to confrontpeople to play the game. Thus, whether man shall re- with the hard realityof what must be done to main the 'darling of the gods' or become extinct preservethe quality of the naturalenvironment is strictlyup to him. He may wish to remain forhuman survival and forscientific study, and happy without being good, but evolution will to convince legislators to pass laws needed to never let him.... Conservation, whether of conserve the environment.He has kept in the species, biotic communities,or of man, thus be- forefrontthe need to preservethe naturalworld comes highly meaningfulonly with evolution- that we biologists study. ary understanding." [Hugh Iltis, Wisconsin It is in this role that he has earned most of AcademyReview 13(2): 18. 1966] the unpleasant adjectives. Most who know him His preservation effortshave been success- may finda view of him as a motherfigure im- ful-in Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Mexico-and plausible, as, indeed, I did when a fellow ex- his success has not gone unrecognized. He was student of Hugh's drew this analogy last May co-founderin 1960 of the Wisconsin Chapter of at Hugh's retirementcelebration. Upon reflec- The Nature Conservancy.In 1967, he instigated tion, however, it seemed to fitat least partially formulation of Hawaii's Natural Area Law, my experience of him. Like a mother,Hugh is which was enacted in 1970, and on its 20th an- endlessly loyal and supportive of his students, 1995] KALLUNKI: 1994 ASA GRAY AWARD 5 promotingus enthusiasticallyto the world and lating destructionof our naturalheritage and the eco- offeringadvice and suggestions at every op- logical systems,which supportus both physicallyand portunity,and, in return,he expects from us psychologically.Hugh is a latter-dayOld Testament comparable loyalty and support. Like grown Prophet, railing against the ecological iniquities of children, however, we always appreciated the the human species-the mindless consumption of material possessions, the heedless destructionof bi- support but sometimes guiltily resisted the ological diversity and whole geographies, and the streamof ardentadvice and suggestions,which unsustainable increase in human population, the root were given in an honest effortto make us better cause of our environmentalcrisis. He lambastes the students and better citizens but which some- Pope and the Roman Catholic Church for their bio- times drove us crazy. Such an amalgam of love logically untenable opposition to birth control and and guilt ties many children to their mothers. abortion.He ridiculesthe narrowviews of economists By the time of his officialretirement last year, whose idealisticsystems float in a Never-Never-Land, he had made his reputation "as a taxonomist, anchored to no physical earth, much less to any bi- and economic botanist,a teacher,a conservation ological ecosystem.He infuriatesthe 'Politically Cor- biologist, an ecologist, and as a gadfly to the rect'-liberals who would allow unlimited immigra- tion, feministswho denigrate the role of mothersin botanical/scientific community for greater par- the physicaland psychologicaldevelopment of babies ticipation and advocacy in community/world and children. affairs."[Paul Fryxell]In recognitionof his ac- "We need people like Professor Hugh H. Iltis- complishmentsin all these roles, he was pre- larger than life, difficult,extreme, outrageous, even sented the Asa Gray Award of the American impossible, and sometimes just plain wrong-al- Society of Plant Taxonomistsfor 1994. though only a few such incandescent egos can be Of all the lettersreceived in support of his borne at any one time,if we ordinarymortals are to nominationfor the Award, the one thatseemed preserve some vestige of mental balance and sanity. to me to summarize best Hugh's role in our He warns us thatwe mustalways be vigilantfor warn- world and our feelings about him reads as fol- ing signals fromour native, built-in'crap detectors.' "In the movie, Marriedto theMob, Angela, who is lows: married to Eddie 'the Cucumber,' a mobster,is cor- "Hugh is a phenomenalforce among plant taxon- nered in a grocerystore by the over-dressed,over- omistsand conservationiststoday. His highstanding painted wives of membersof her husband's gang. The in theacademic community is indicatedby his being Capo's wife leans menacingly over her grocerycart invitedto give one of the eightSpecial Lecturesat and says 'We're your friends,Angela, whether you The XV InternationalBotanical Congress in Tokyo like it or not!' Many feel the same way about Prof. lastsummer. His publicationson theCapparidaceae, Iltis. He is going to be our friend,whether we like it Zea, and the floraof Wisconsin,his numeroustalks or not. Much of the time,we, like Angela, are intim- on hisresearch and on conservation,and his training idated and would just as soon be spared. However, of 36 graduatestudents form the backboneof his usually we come to realize that Hugh, however un- academiccareer. However, these bare bones are fleshed comfortablehe makes us, is our friend.He gets us to out by the lean muscleof a frighteninglyforceful, do things that we really should-for our own good. endlesslyenergetic personality that moves individ- And, however uncomfortablehe makes some lay peo- uals and institutionsin new directions.It is Hugh's ple, spiritual leaders, administratorsand politicians personalityand his ecologicalactivism that are the feel, he is theirfriend, telling them unpleasant truths qualitiesfor which he is famouswithin the taxonomic and tryingto get themto change theirways-for their communityand amongthe generalpublic-and in- own good and forthe communal good of our human famousto many. society and world ecosystem. "Hugh inspiresand motivatesthe people with "At considerable sacrificeto his academic career, whichhe comesinto contact-the lay public, his stu- Prof. Iltis has proselytized for the salvation of the dents(both undergraduate and graduate),and hiscol- natural world-'the flowers, butterflies,birds, and leagues.His overpoweringenthusiasm for the natural whales'-the creaturesthat we as taxonomistsstudy world-'the flowers,butterflies, birds, and whales, and love. He is trulyour friend.The Asa GrayAward andchildren, young and old'-has emboldenedmany is a fittoken of the value we place on the life's work of us to listento our heartsand screamat the esca- of the remarkable'Mensch'." [RobertR. Kowal]