Lee Oras Overholts (23 June 1890 – 10 November 1946) was an American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

known for his expertise on

polypore Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside (see Delimitation for exceptions). They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypor ...

fungi.

Personal life

Lee Oras Overholts was born in

Camden, Ohio Camden is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Preble County, Ohio, Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,046 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton, Ohio, Dayton Greater Dayton, Metropolita ...

and attended

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1912. His postgraduate education was at

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

where his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

was awarded in 1915. He was married twice, to Flora May Conarroe (died 7 June 1944) and then Marie Knautz. He had four children, two girls and two boys. Overholts died 10 November 1946 at State College after a very short illness although he had been unwell for the five previous years.

Scientific career

During the course of his graduate school research, he met prominent mycologists such as Bruce Fink, Frank Dunn Kern, and Edward Angus Burt and developed an interest in the polypores. In 1915 Overholts accepted the offer of a faculty post at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

from Kern. He started teaching courses in

botany 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 w ...

, and later in mycology and

forest pathology Forest pathology is the research of both Biotic stress, biotic and Abiotic stress, abiotic maladies affecting the health of a forest ecosystem, primarily Fungal infection in plants, fungal pathogens and their insect vectors. It is a subfield of ...

. He became a full professor in 1925. Overholts described 35 polypore fungi either alone or with his colleague

Josiah Lincoln Lowe Josiah Lincoln Lowe (13 February 1905 – 30 April 1997) was an American mycologist who specialized in the study of polypores. Lowe was born in Hopewell, New Jersey, where he attended primary school and high school. In 1927, he graduated with a Bac ...

. However, Overholts often neglected to include a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

description, contrary to the then-prevailing rules of botanical nomenclature, and consequently a large proportion of his species were published invalidly.

Awards and recognition

Overholts was the vice president of the

Mycological Society of America The Mycological Society of America (MSA) is a learned society that serves as the professional organization of mycologists in the U.S. and Canada. It was founded in 1932. The Society's constitution states that "The purpose of the Society is to promo ...

in 1937, and its president in 1938. Several fungal

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

been named in his honor: *'' Clitocybe overholtsii'' Murrill 1916 *''

Mycena overholtsii ''Mycena overholtsii'', commonly known as the snowbank fairy helmet or fuzzy foot, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae. The mushrooms produced by the fungus are relatively large for the genus ''Mycena'', with convex grayish caps u ...

'' A.H.Sm. & Solheim 1953 *''

Peniophora overholtsii ''Peniophora'' is a genus of fungi which are plant pathogens. Members of the genus belong to the class Agaricomycetes, order Russulales, and family Peniophoraceae. The genus is widespread, and contains 62 species. The species of ''Peniophora'' a ...

'' Burt 1926 *''

Phellinus overholtsii ''Phellinus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hymenochaetaceae. Many species cause white rot. Fruit bodies, which are found growing on wood, are resupinate, sessile, and perennial. The flesh is tough and woody or cork-like, and brown in co ...

'' Ginns 1984 *''

Poria overholtsii Poria may refer to: Names *Poria may refer to a branch or surname of Jethwa. Places * Poria - Kfar Avoda, formerly Poria, a village in northern Israel * Poria - Neve Oved, a village in northern Israel Biology * ''Poria'' (fungus), a defunc ...

'' Pilát 1940

Selected works

* * * * * J. Ben Hill, Lee Overholts and Henry W. Popp (1936) ''Botany, A textbook for Colleges'' 672pp McGraw Hill Book Company *Overholts, L.O. (1953). ''The Polyporaceae of the United States, Alaska and Canada''. University of Michigan Studies 19: 466 pp.

References

External links