Albert Ernest Radford (January 25, 1918 – April 12, 2006) was an American

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

active in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. He was best known for his work as senior author of ''Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas'', the definitive

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

for

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Biography

Radford was born in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

to Albert and Eloise Moseley Radford, one of nine children. He was educated at Junior College of Augusta,

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

(B.S., 1939) and the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

(Ph.D., 1948). He served in the 51st Engineer Combat Battalion of the United States Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and saw action in North Africa and Europe, including the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

, for which his battalion was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He and his wife (married 1941), Laurie Stewart Radford (1910–2004), had three children, David, John, and Linda. Albert was Professor of Botany at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for forty years and director of the University of North Carolina Herbarium for 23 years. Professionally, he served as President of the

Elisha Mitchell Elisha Mitchell (August 19, 1793 – June 27, 1857) was an American educator, geologist and Presbyterian minister. His geological studies led to the identification of North Carolina's Mount Mitchell as the highest peak east of the Mississippi Rive ...

Scientific Society and of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club. Besides his academic work in botany, he was active in

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

of natural areas in the

. One of his most significant accomplishments was the discovery of an unusual plant community which has since become protected as Steven's Creek Heritage Preserve. Among his students was ethnobotanist James A. Duke. His grandson

Phil Radford Philip David Radford (born January 2, 1976) is an American activist who served as the executive director of Greenpeace USA. He is the founder and President of Progressive Power Lab, an organization that incubates companies and non-profits that bu ...

, served as the youngest executive director of Greenpeace, from 2009 to 2014. Phil Radford

Works

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References

* Burk, William R. and Alan S. Weakley (2006). Albert E. Radford-A Tribute. ''Castanea'', September, 2006 (available fro
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��obituary, accessed 4 May 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Radford, Albert Ernest 1918 births 2006 deaths American botanists Furman University alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty People from Augusta, Georgia