Dr. Peter H. Raven - 1997

Peter H. Raven is Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Engelmann Professor of Botany of Washington University. He is a native of California and received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1960, after completing his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds honorary degrees from several universities, including the Universities of Massachusetts and Goteborg, Sweden, as well as Rutgers, Leiden and Washington Universities. Dr. Raven is Home Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Report Review Committee of the National Reserach Council and a member of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.

In 1986, he received the International Prize for Biology from the government of Japan, in 1990 shared with E.O. Wilson the Prize of the Institut de la Sweden, in 1994 shared with Arturo Gomez-Popma the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and in 1995 shared with Canaganayagan Suriyakumaran and Norman Meyers the Sasakawa Environment Prize. From 1985 to 1990 he was a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society and several foreign academies of science, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and he has served as a member of the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri and a member of the National Science Board.

Before coming to St. Louis in 1971, Dr. Raven was a member of the Department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University. He spent the academic year 1969-1970 in New Zealand as a Guggenheim fellow. He is past president of a number of groups, including the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the Organization for Tropical Studies, and the Botanical Society of America, served as Chairman of the National Museum Services Board, and Chairman of the National Research Council Committee on the National Biological Survey. In addition, Dr. Raven is a member of the Committee on Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society, Co-chair of the Editorial Committee of the Flora of China project, and Chairman of the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union. He is the author or editor of 18 books, including textbooks in biology and botany, and more than 450 scientific papers.

Since moving to St. Louis, Dr. Raven has been concerned with the development of the Garden's research program in tropical botany, which has become one of the most active in the world. In addition, he has continued his work with graduate students and his research on Onagraceae. He is active in efforts to enhance public awareness of the ecological crisis in the tropics, and the need for preservation of plants and animals throughout the world.
 

Mendal Medal Presentation Program, January 25, 1997. Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Raven, Peter Hamilton, botonical garden director, botany educator; b. Shanghai, China, June 13, 1936; s. Walter Francis and Isabelle Marion (Breen) R.; children--Alice Catherine, Elizabeth Marie, Francis Clark, Kathryn Amelia. AB with highest honors, U. Calif. - Berkeley, 1957; PhD, UCLA, 1960; DSc (hon.), St. Louis U., 1982, Knox Coll., 1983, So. Ill. U., 1983, Miami U., 1986, U. Goteborg, 1987, Rutgers U., 1988, U. Mass., 1988, Leiden U., The Netherlands, 1990; HHD (hon.), Webster U., 1989; D.Sc. (hon.), Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina, 1991, Westminster Coll., 1992, U. Mo., 1992, Washington U., 1993, U. Conn., 1993; DSc (hon.) U. Cordoba, Argentina, 1993. Taxonomist, curator Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, Calif., 1961-62; asst. prof., then assoc. prof. biol. scis. Stanford U., Calif., 1962-71; dir. Mo. Bot. Garden, St. Louis, 1971--; adj. prof. biology St. Louis U., 1973--; Engelmann prof. botany Washington U., St. Louis, 1971--; adj. prof. biology U. Mo., St. Louis, 1976--; sr. rsch., fellow New Zealand Dept. Sci. and Indsl. Rsch., 1969-70; v.p. XIII Internat. Bot. Congress, Sydney, 1981; Home Sec. Nat. Acad. Scis., 1987--; chmn. report rev. com. NRC, 1989--; mem. pres. com. Adv. on Sci. and Tech., 1994--; hon. vice-chair 27th Internat. Geographical Cong., 1992; hon. v.p. XV Internt. Bot. Cong., Tokyo, 1993; mem. Nat. Sci. Bd., 1990-94; mem. jury Internat. St. Francis Prize for Environment, 1990-93; mem. exec. com. Joint Appeal by Religion and Sci. for Environment, 1991--; mem. external adv. bd. Com. on Peabody Mus., Yale U., 1992-94; mem. coun. World Resources Inst., 1992-; mem. adv. com. Africa Ctr. for Resources and Environment, 1992--, Third World Found. N. Am., 1993; mem. adv. com. to biodiversity com. Chinese Acad. Scis., 1993--; mem. Exec. Com. Round Table, St. Louis, 1993--; mem. hon. fgn. adv. bd. Botanical Garden Orgn. Thailand, 1993--. Author: Native Shrubs of Southern California, 1966, (with P.R. Ehrlich, R.W. Holm) Papers on Evolution, 1969, (with H. Curtis) Biology of Plants, 1971, 4th edit., 1986, (with R.F. Evert and S.E. Eichhorn) 5th edit., 1992, (with B. Berlin and D. Breedlove) Principles of Tzeltal Plant Classification, 1974, (with G.B. Johnson) Biology, 1986, 3d edit., 1992, Understanding Biology, 1988, 3d edit., 1995; editor: (with L.E. Gilbert) Coevolution of Animals and Plants, 1981, (with F.J. Radovsky & S.H. Sohmer) Biogeography of the Tropical Pacific, 1984, (with others) Topics in Plant Population Biology, 1979, (with K. Iwatsuki and W.J. Bock) Modern Aspects of Species, 1986; editor-in-chief Brittonia, 1963-66; mme. editorial bd. Flora Neotropica, 1965-84; editor (with D.E. Osterbrock) Origins and Extinctions, 1988, paperback, 1992, (with R.M. Polhill) Advances in Legume Systematics, 1981 (with L. Berg and G.B. Johnson) Environment, 1995; mem. editorial bd. Evolution, 1963-65, 76-79, Memoirs of N.Y. Botanical Garden, 1966-84, N. Am. Flora, 1966-84, Am. Naturalist, 1967-70, Annual Rev. Ecology and Systematics, 1971-75, Flora of Ecuador, 1974--, Evolutionary Theory, 1975--, Adansonia, 1976--, Jour. Biogeography, 1978--, Science, 1979-82, Proceedings of U.S. Nat. Acad. Scis., 1980-87, World Book, Inc., 1982-86, Diversity, 1985-90, Bothalia, 1985--, Serie Botanica of the Anales del Instituto de Biolog�a UNAM, 1989, Ecol. Applications, 1989-92, others; mem. adv. bd. Applied Botany Abstracts, 1981--, Tropical Plant Sci. Research, 1982--, Darwiniana, 1985--; mem. internat. editl. com. Acta Bot�nica Mexicana, 1987--; mem. internat. editl. adv. bd. Candollea, 1995--; mem. editl. bd. Botanical Bulletin Academia Sinica, 1988--; Botanical Mag., 1988-92, Chinese Jour. of Botany, 1991--, Edinburgh Jour. of Botany, 1994--; co-chmn. editl. com. Flora of China, 1988--; advisor Plants Today, 1988-89; contbr. over 400 articles to profl. jours. bd. curators U. Mo., 1985-90; commr. Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, 1971--; mem. Arnold Arboretum Vis. Com., 1974-81, chmn. 1976-81; bd. overseers Morris Arboretum, 1977-81; mem. sci. adv. bd. Nat. Tropical Botanical Garden, 1975--; mem. Smithsonian Council, 1985-90; chmn. St. Louis Area Mus. Collaborative 1985-91, Commn. for Flora Neotropica, 1985--; mem. Commn. on Mus. for New Century, 1981-84; mem. sci. and engring. panel Com. on Scholarly Communication with People's Republic China, 1981-85; chmn. com. to visit dept. organismic and evolutionary biology Harvard U., 1982-84, mem. 84-85; ednl. adv. bd. John Simon Guggenheim Meml. Found., 1986--; research assoc. botany Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1985--; hon. trustee Acad. Sci. of St. Louis, 1986--; chmn. Internat. Union for the Conservation of Nature, World Wildlife Fund, 1984-87, hon. chmn. 1987-90; mem. adv. and tech. bd. Fundaci�n de Parques Nacionales and Fundaci�n Neotr�pica, Costa Rica, 1988--; mem. Nat. Coun. World Wildlife Fund and Conservation Foun., 1989--, U.S. bd. dirs. 1983-88, bd. dirs. Conservation Foun., 1985-88, sci. adv. com. Conservation Internat., 1988--; chmn's. coun., 1989, World Wildlife Fund, 1987-90, Conservation Foun., 1989--, Foun. Flora Malesianna, 1992--, Sci. Svc., 1993--; hon. scientific adv. com. XVII Pacific Sci. Congress, 1990-91; adv. bd. The Winslow Foun., 1993--, The Internat. Sci. Camp The Earth We Share, 1993--; exec. bd. Internat. Sci. Foun. for the Former Soviet Union, 1992--; internat. adv. bd. Fifth ICSEB Congress, Hungary, 1994--. Commn. mem. U.S. MAB, 1994-95. Recipient A. P. DeCandolle prize, Geneva, 1970; Disting. Service award Japan Am. Soc. So. Calif., 1977; award of Merit, Bot. Soc. Am., 1977; Achievement medal Garden Club Am., 1978; Willdenow medal Berlin Bot. Garden, 1979; Disting. Service award Am. Inst. Biol. Scis., 1981; Joseph Priestly medal, Dickinson Coll., 1982; Gold Seal medal Nat. Council of State Garden Clubs, 1982; Internat. Environ. Leadership medal UN Environ. Program, 1982; Spl. citiation Dona Doris Yankelewitz de Monge, 1985, Internat. Prize for Biology, Govt. Japan, 1986, Hutchinson medal Chgo. Hort. Soc., 1986, Archie F. Carr medal, 1987, Global 500 Honor Roll UN Environ. Program, 1987, Am. Fuchsia Soc. Achievement Medal, 1987, George Robert White Medal of Honor Mass. Horticultural Soc., 1987, Robert Allerton Medal Nat. Tropical Bot. Garden, 1988, Delmer S. Fahrney medal Franklin Inst., Phila., 1989, (with E.O. Wilson) Environ. prize Institut de la Vie (Paris), 1990, Order of Golden Ark (officer), The Netherlands, 1990, award for Support of Sci. Coun. Sci. Soc. Pres., 1990, (with Norman Myers) Volvo Environ. prize, 1992, Pres.'s Conservation Achievement Awd., 1993, Nature Conservancyvement award TNC, 1993, Internat. award Internat. Inst. of St. Louis, 1994, Founder's Coun. Centennial Merit award The Field Mus. of Natural History, 1994, Founder's Coun. Centennial Merit award The Field Mus. of Natural History, 1994, Sword of St. Ignatius Loyola award St. Louis U., 1994, Tyler Environ. Achievement prize, 1994, and numerous other botanical awards and honors; Guggenheim fellow, 1969-70; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foun. fellow, 1985-90, NSF postdoctoral fellow, Brit. Mus. London, 1960-61. Fellow Am. Acad. Arts and Scis. (com. on membership 1980-82), Linnean Soc. London (fgn. mem.), Calif. Acad. Scis. (CAS Fellow, Fellows' medal, 1988), AAAS, Indian Nat. Sci. Acad., Third World Acad. Scis., World Acad. Art & Sci.; mem. NSF (systematic Biology panel 1973-76, chmn. adv. com. for biol. behavioral and social scis. 1984-90), NAS (com. on human rights 1984-87, home sec. 1987--), Royal Danish Acad. Scis. and Letters (fgn. hon.), Royal Swedish Acad. Scis. (fgn.), Royal Soc. New Zealand (hon.), NRC (gov. bd. 1983-86, 87-88, chmn. com. on research priorities in tropical biology 1977-79, assembly life scis. 1979-81, com. on selected research problems in humid tropics 1980-82, commn. internat. relations 1981-82), Calif. Bot. Soc. (v.p. 1968-69), Am. Soc. Plant Taxonomists (pres. 1972), Assn. Systematics Collections (pres. 1980-82, Fed. Council Arts and Humanities, Nat. Geographic Soc. (com. on research and exploration 1982--), Internat. Orgn. Plant Biosystematists (v.p. 1989-92, pres. 92-95), Internat. Assn. for Plant Taxonomy (council 1981--), Orgn. Tropical Studies (treas. 1981-84, v.p. devel. 1984-85, pres. 1985-88, past pres. 1988-90, bd. dirs. 1981-91), Am. Soc. Naturalists (pres. 1983), Miller Inst. Basic Research in Sci. (adv. bd. 1983-89), Am. Inst. Biol Scis. (pres. 1983-84), Mo. Acad. Scis., Geol. Soc. Am., Bot. Soc. Am. (pres. 1975, chmn. com. on sci. exchange with People's Republic China 1978-84), Assn. Tropical Biology (bd. dirs. 1981-85), Am. Assn. Mus. (exec. com. 1980-83), Assn. Sci. Mus. Dirs., Assn. Pacific Systematists, Sociedad Argentina de Botanica (socio honorario), Fundaci�n Miguel Lillo (hon.), Soc. Systematic Zool., Sociedad Bot�nica de M�xico (life), Assn. pour l'Etude Taxonomique de la Flore d'Afrique Tropicale, Orgn. for Phyto-Taxonomic Investigation of Mediterranean Area (council 1975-89), All-Union Botanical Soc. USSR (hon. fgn. mem.), Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL (fgn.), Am. Philosophical Soc., Russian Acad. Scis. (fgn. mem.), Nat. Acad. Scis. India (fgn. fellow 1990--), Academia de Ciencias Exactas, F�sicas y Naturales, Austrian Acad. Scis., Academia Chilena de Ciencias, Academia Nacional de Ciencias, Academy Scis.Ukraine, Chinese Acad. Scis., Nature Conservancy (Pres. Conservation Achievement Awd., 1993), Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi. Office: Mo Bot Garden 4344 Shaw Blvd. Saint Louis MO 63110-2226
 

Who's Who in America, 2002, 56th edition. New Providence, New Jersey.
Marquis Who's Who, 2001, p. 4317-4318.