What about Rachel Carson?
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
Considered by many to be the founder of the modern day environmental movement, Rachel Carson is best known for alerting the public about the environmental and health hazards of insecticide use with the publication of her novel Silent Spring (1962).
Raised in western Pennsylvania, Carson was a lover of nature from her youngest years. At a time when women were not encouraged to pursue the physical sciences, she graduated from the Pennsylvania College for Women in 1929 with a degree in zoology. And in 1932, Rachel received her MA in zoology form Johns Hopkins University. She did her post graduate studies at the prominent Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
It was not only nature that Rachel enjoyed, but she also had a love for writing. As one of the few women working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she was able to incorporate her persuasive writing style with her science work. Futhermore, as the chief of all publications, Carson wrote twelve government pamphlets on "Conservation in Action".
After publication of The Sea Around Us in 1952, Rachel Carson was able to leave her job at the bureau and retire with her family to a cottage by the sea in Maine. Her novel had won her international recognition and a spot on the best-seller list. Her books that followed continued to be widely acclaimed and served to educate the public about the connection of people with their natural environment. The publication of Silent Spring sparked serious public outcry. Chemical companies and high-ranking officials thought Carson had no basis and no right to put her findings in print, however, John F. Kennedy and those in Congress were quick to respond with legislation that would reduce the use of insecticides.
In 1964, Ms. Carson died of breast cancer at the age of fifty-six. A humble person, Carson had thought of herself as merely a scientist and a writer. But in actuality, she was a missionary for the environment; Rachel Carson laid the groundwork for environmental concern and protection. Her life's work continues to be an inspiration to women in the environmental field.
Awards
1952- John Burroughs Medal
1954- Gold Medal of the New York Zoological Society
1963- Conservationist of the Year Award of the National Wildlife Federation
Books by Rachel Carson
Under the Sea-Wind, New York, Oxford University Press (1941)
The Sea Around Us, New York, Oxford University Press (1951)
The Edge of the Sea, Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company (1955)
Silent Spring, Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company (1962)
The Sense of Wonder, New York, Harper and Row (posthumous, 1965)
New York, HarperCollins (1998 newly illustrated) |
