Marine Biologist, Author. He will be long-remembered for his record-breaking ocean descent off Bermuda and his numerous books on marine biology. A zoologist best known for his work in ornithology and marine biology, he attended Columbia University through October 1898. In 1899 he became Assistant Curator of Ornithology at the New York Zoological Society. He remained associated with the Society for the rest of his life. He married Mary Blair in 1902 and co-authored "Our Search for a Wilderness" in 1910. She divorced him in 1913 and became famous as the novelist Blair Niles. In 1927 Beebe married Elswyth Thane Ricker. She authored several books including "Reluctant Farmer" (1950) which portrays her life with Beebe. In 1916 he became Honorary Curator of Ornithology and Director of the Department of Tropical Research of the New York Zoological Society. On retirement in 1952, he was appointed Director Emeritus. In 1918 He was awarded the second Elliot Medal of the National Academy of Sciences for his monumental four volume work, "A Monograph of the Pheasants". He received many additional awards and medals though out his lifetime but became a household name during the 1930s after his 1934 record-breaking ocean descent in the bathysphere to a depth of 3,028 feet off Bermuda. This record remained unbroken until 1949. Tim M. Berra in "William Beebe: An Annotated Bibliography" reports that Beebe published 24 books and 825 articles, reviews and reports including 5 feature articles in "The National Geographic Magazine". He lead more than 50 scientific expeditions, described 87 new species of fish, and one new species of bird. At least 64 animals have been named after him. He was a fellow of the New York Zoological Society, the New York Academy of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Ornithologists' Union, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Geographical Society along with numerous other national and international scientific organizations. He died at Simla in Trinidad of pneumonia complicated by old age.
Marine Biologist, Author. He will be long-remembered for his record-breaking ocean descent off Bermuda and his numerous books on marine biology. A zoologist best known for his work in ornithology and marine biology, he attended Columbia University through October 1898. In 1899 he became Assistant Curator of Ornithology at the New York Zoological Society. He remained associated with the Society for the rest of his life. He married Mary Blair in 1902 and co-authored "Our Search for a Wilderness" in 1910. She divorced him in 1913 and became famous as the novelist Blair Niles. In 1927 Beebe married Elswyth Thane Ricker. She authored several books including "Reluctant Farmer" (1950) which portrays her life with Beebe. In 1916 he became Honorary Curator of Ornithology and Director of the Department of Tropical Research of the New York Zoological Society. On retirement in 1952, he was appointed Director Emeritus. In 1918 He was awarded the second Elliot Medal of the National Academy of Sciences for his monumental four volume work, "A Monograph of the Pheasants". He received many additional awards and medals though out his lifetime but became a household name during the 1930s after his 1934 record-breaking ocean descent in the bathysphere to a depth of 3,028 feet off Bermuda. This record remained unbroken until 1949. Tim M. Berra in "William Beebe: An Annotated Bibliography" reports that Beebe published 24 books and 825 articles, reviews and reports including 5 feature articles in "The National Geographic Magazine". He lead more than 50 scientific expeditions, described 87 new species of fish, and one new species of bird. At least 64 animals have been named after him. He was a fellow of the New York Zoological Society, the New York Academy of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Ornithologists' Union, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Geographical Society along with numerous other national and international scientific organizations. He died at Simla in Trinidad of pneumonia complicated by old age.
Bio by: grayslate
Inscription
HERE LIES
DR. WILLIAM CHARLES BEEBE,
THE FIRST CURATOR OF BIRDS
OF THE BRONX ZOO IN NEW YORK, U.S.A.
AN AVID WRITER AND EXPLORER, DR. BEEBE WROTE
MANY BOOKS ON NATURAL HISTORY, AND DID MUCH TO
POPULARIZE THE SCIENCE OF NEOTROPICAL ECOLOGY.
DR. BEEBE ESTABLISHED THE SIMLA FIELD STATION
IN THE ARIMA VALLEY IN TRINIDAD IN 1950
AND LIVED THERE UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1962.
DR. BEEBE WAS AN INTREPID NATURAL HISTORIAN,
WHOSE RESEARCH TOOK HIM FORM THE HIGHLANDS OF
SOUTH-EAST ASIA IN SEARCH OF PHEASANTS,
TO THE TROPICAL FORESTS OF THE GUIANAS AND VENEZUELA,
AND ON TO THE DEPTHS OF THE BERMUDA TRENCH
IN THE WORLD’S FIRST BATHYSPHERE DIVE,
WHERE HE DISCOVERED NUMEROUS SPECIES NEW TO SCIENCE.
DR. WILLIAM CHARLES BEEBE
JULY 19, 1877 – JUNE 4, 1962
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