William Louis "Bill" Culberson (April 5, 1929 in Indianapolis, Indiana – February 8, 2003 in Durham, North Carolina) was an American lichenologist.
William Louis Culberson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 5, 1929 |
| Died | February 8, 2003 (aged 73) |
| Alma mater | University of Cincinnati, University of Paris, University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Spouse | Chicita F. Forman (m. 1953) |
| Awards | Acharius Medal (1992) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Lichenology |
| Institutions | Duke University |
| Doctoral advisor | John Walter Thomson |
Professional history
editCulberson earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati, where he was influenced by E. Lucy Braun;[1] he subsequently attended the University of Paris and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
In 1955, Culberson joined the botany department at Duke University; he subsequently managed Duke's acquisition of the lichen-centric herbaria of Julien Harmand and Johan Havaas. He served as the Hugo L. Blomquist Professor.[2] In 2010, the lichen collection was officially named the William Louis & Chicita F. Culberson Lichen Herbarium & Library.
He served as president of the Botanical Society of America and the American Bryological and Lichenological Society[3] and as director of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.[4] He was the first editor-in-chief of the journal Systematic Botany.[5] In 1992, he became one of the first modern recipients of the Acharius Medal.[6]
In 2000, botanist Theodore Esslinger circumscribed Culbersonia, which is a fungal genus in the family Caliciaceae and named in Bill Culberson and Chicita F. Culberson's honour, his "longtime friends and mentors".[7][8]
Personal life
editIn 1953,[9] Dr. Culberson married fellow lichenologist Chicita F. Forman.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ WILLIAM LOUIS CULBERSON (1929-2003) in BOTANICAL ELECTRONIC NEWS (archived at the University of Oklahoma); by Lewis E. Anderson; published February 26, 2003
- ^ Yoon, Carol Kaesuk (June 13, 1995). "Pariahs of the Fungal World, Lichens Finally Get Some Respect". The New York Times.
- ^ Elix, John A.; Nash III, Thomas H. (2003). "A tribute to William Louis Culberson". The Lichenologist. 35 (2): 93–95. doi:10.1016/S0024-2829(03)00025-2. S2CID 86322587.
- ^ Obituary: Dr. William Louis Culberson (1929 - 2003); by Isao Yoshimura; in the Newsletter of the Japanese Society for Lichenology, no. 21 (page 72 - English version); retrieved October 22, 2013
- ^ PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN: A Publication of the Botanical Society of America, December 1975 Vol. 21 No. 4; archived at Botany.org
- ^ Acharius Medallists at Lichenology.org; retrieved October 22, 2013
- ^ Esslinger, Theodore L. (2000). "Culbersonia americana, a rare new lichen (Ascomycota) from Western America". The Bryologist. 103 (4): 771–773. doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2000)103[0771:CAARNL]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 86045065.
- ^ Burkhardt, Lotte (2022). Eine Enzyklopädie zu eponymischen Pflanzennamen [Encyclopedia of eponymic plant names] (pdf) (in German). Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin. doi:10.3372/epolist2022. ISBN 978-3-946292-41-8. S2CID 246307410. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ Acharius Medallists: William Louis Culberson at Lichenology.org; retrieved October 22, 2013
- ^ International Plant Names Index. W.L.Culb.