Odum
Kendeigh
|
In 1996, Eugene P.
Odum (PhD Zoology ’39) made a gift to the University—and also issued a
challenge. With his gift of $25,000 to establish an endowed fund to
support graduate student research in ecology, Odum challenged alumni and
friends of eco-logical research and education to match his gift. If they
would do so, then Odum agreed to contribute another $25,000 to the
endowment.
In January 2000 that challenge was met,
based in large part on the generosity of Robert V. Kennedy (BS ’55, MS
Zoology ’58). Kennedy told a surprised student caller during the annual
fund drive of his wish to make a major gift of stock to this endowment.
Odum requested that the
endowment honor his mentor at the University of Illinois, S. Charles
Kendeigh. The College decided to honor Odum as well, so the fund became
the Eugene P. Odum—S. Charles Kendeigh Endowment.
Ecology at the University has a tradition
of excellence, dating back to the early 1900s. Victor Shelford, a
professor of Zoology from 1914 to 1947, was instrumental in developing the
field of animal ecology in North America.
S. Charles Kendeigh, a student of Shelford,
earned his PhD from Illinois in 1930. In 1936 he returned to Illinois as
Shelford’s understudy, and together they made Illinois a major center
for ecology. Kendeigh pioneered ecological energetics, a major component
of both population and eco-system ecology. Kendeigh was mentor to 111
graduate students, including Odum.
Odum is considered one of the most
influential figures in the history of ecology in the 20th century. For
more than half a century, he challenged scientific assumptions about the
world around us. His textbook Fundamentals of Ecology, first published in
1953, influenced an entire generation of ecologists.
Odum, called the "father of modern
ecology," has been at the University of Georgia since 1940, and was
director of its Institute of Ecology, as well as Callaway Professor of
Ecology. He retired in 1984, but remains active in promoting the awareness
of ecology nationwide.
Evan DeLucia, director of the Program in
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, a new interdepartmental graduate
program at Illinois, commented, "We are taking giant steps toward
creating a new structure for ecology on campus. With this endowment, we
can build a solid foundation of support for our graduate students—the
heart of the program!"
|
