| William Louis Culberson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1929-04-05)April 5, 1929 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Died | February 8, 2003(2003-02-08) (aged 73) Durham, North Carolina, United States |
| 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 |
William Louis "Bill" Culberson (April 5, 1929 in Indianapolis, Indiana – February 8, 2003 in Durham, North Carolina) was an American lichenologist.
Professional history
Culberson earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati, where he was influenced by E. Lucy Braun; 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. 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 and as director of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. He was the first editor-in-chief of the journal Systematic Botany. In 1992, he became one of the first modern recipients of the Acharius Medal.
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".
Personal life
In 1953, Dr. Culberson married fellow lichenologist Chicita F. Forman.
The standard author abbreviation W.L.Culb. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.See also
References
- 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.
External links
- Photos of the dedication ceremony of the William Louis & Chicita F. Culberson Lichen Herbarium & Library on YouTube.
- American lichenologists
- 1929 births
- 2003 deaths
- Acharius Medal recipients
- Botanical Society of America
- Duke University faculty
- University of Cincinnati alumni
- University of Paris alumni
- University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
- Deaths from cancer in North Carolina
- People from Indianapolis
- 20th-century American botanists
- 21st-century American botanists
- American expatriates in France