Dr. Elmer Yale Dawson (March 31, 1918 – June 22, 1966) was an American botanist, phycologist, taxonomist, ecologist, and naturalist writer. He was a field worker of boundless energy, pursuing deeper into unexplored biological territories.
The sheer volume of his work is astounding with 170 articles, books, reviews, newsletters, considering he was only 48 years old at the time of his death. His initial interest in cactus and succulent plants was soon taken over by his passion for seaweeds for a lifetime. He arrived at the University of California, Berkeley in 1936 and quickly discovered zeal and enthusiasm for 'microscopy'. He was the last and most productive student of WA Setchell ( he completed his Ph.D. in only two years).
His participation in 'Allan Hancock Expedition to the Gulf of California' has resulted in a major phycological contribution "Marine Algae of Gulf of California" (1944) still relevant referred by the phycologist today. The most extraordinary contribution he made is the publication of 8 volumes of "The Marine Red Algae of Pacific Mexico (1953 - 1963)". The Botanical Society of America awarded him with 'the Darbaker Prize' for this work.
With high energy and enthusiasm, he was a man of action, preferred working quickly, often on several projects at the same time. In his 26 years of scientific pursuit, he made over 40,000 collections and described many new taxa. He has served as Secretary for the Charles Darwin Foundation for Galapagos Islands, established under the auspices of UNESCO. Unfortunately, his scientific journey ended at Hurghada, Egypt by drowning while collecting seaweeds in the Red Sea.
Data compiled by: Dr. Vaibhav A. Mantri, Principal Scientist & Divisional Chair, CSIR-CSMCRI, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India.
Source Credit: "Prominent Phycologists of the 20th Century" by David J Garbary and Michael J. Wynne (Eds)
Read about other prominent Phycologists here
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