Samuel Pfrimmer Hays (April 5, 1921 – November 22, 2017)Samuel Pfrimmer Hays
/ref> was a pioneering environmental, social and political historian. Born in

Corydon, Indiana Corydon is a town in Harrison Township, Harrison County, Indiana. Located north of the Ohio River in the extreme southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, it is the seat of government for Harrison County. Corydon was founded in 1808 and served ...

and raised on a local dairy farm. He earned a graduates degree from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

in 1948, and a Ph.D. at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He authored multiple works including "The Response to Industrialism 1885-1914" in 1957, "Conservation and the Gospel of Efficiency," "Beauty, Health, and Permanence: Environmental Politics in the United States, 1955-1985” and "A History of Environmental Politics since 1945". He established the Archives of Industrial Society at

The University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

where he served as a professor from 1960 until 1990. Hays served as president of the Urban History Association in 1992. In 1997 he came the first recipient of the American Society for Environmental History Distinguished Scholar award. In 1999 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad inc ...

. Hayes was an environmental activist. He owned a 311-acre tract of land in

Harrison County, Indiana Harrison County is located in the far southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana along the Ohio River. The county was officially established in 1808. Its county seat is Corydon, the former capital of Indiana. Harrison County is part of the Lou ...

, near Corydon, and he donated the land to the county as a nature preserve. The county operates it as the Hayswood Nature Reserve.

References

External links

Hayswood Nature ReserveObituary: Samuel Hays
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Samuel P 1921 births 2017 deaths category:People from Corydon, Indiana University of Pittsburgh faculty Swarthmore College alumni Harvard University alumni American historians Environmental historians