In Memoriam: Phil Pauly
Dear HSS Members,
It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Phil Pauly, a professor of history at Rutgers University, who was well known to many of us in the history of science community. Phil died on Wednesday, April 2nd, at the age of 57, from complications stemming from lymphoma.
Trained in the history of science at Johns Hopkins University, Phil became a creative light in the history of biology and American science. His work was always innovative and provocative. Whether writing about the life of biologist Jacques Loeb, the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole as a summer resort, or the planting of Japanese cherry trees in Washington D.C., Phil never failed to show how integral and important the history of biology was to American culture and life. His most recent book, Fruits and Plains: The Horticultural Transformation of America, published in February 2008 by Harvard University Press, is a culmination of his research and writing over the last decade that breaks important new ground in illuminating how the history of horticulture might offer a broader framework for integrating cultural and natural history.
Phil cared greatly, not only about ideas, but about people. A person of remarkable integrity, Phil gave generously of his time and broad-ranging knowledge to anyone who asked. He was actively involved in the HSS, serving on numerous committees and, despite his illness, was even planning on serving as the chair of our Committee on Publications later this year. He was a great supporter and mentor of younger scholars in the history of science. His death is a great loss to us all.
Donations in his memory to support graduate students and independent scholars may be sent to the History of Science Society, PO Box 117360, 3310, Turlington Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7360.
(Our thanks to Gregg Mitman for his help in writing this In Memoriam.)
For more information: Rutgers newspaper obituary