Wayne Eyer Manning - Bucknell · PDF fileWayne Eyer Manning Born April 12, 1899 ... Peg managed the day-to-dayoperation of the ... wrote to me this week requesting that I offer Wayne

Wayne Eyer Manning

Born April 12, 1899

Toledo,OHChildhood in

Ambridge, PA

Nature lover - birds,moths, mushrooms

1. This is absolutely a first as I've never had an opportunity to wish afriend happy 104th birthday!

We are gathered this evening to honor our colleague, friend, neighbor,and teacher - Wayne Eyer Manning as Wayne celebrates 104 years oflife.Wayne was born on April 12, 1899 in Toledo, Ohio. At the age of 8,Wayne moved with his family to Ambridge, PA along the Ohio River,some 16 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

Wayne loved nature - as a child he raised Cecropia moths and spentmany hours roaming the woods to study birds and mushrooms. WhenWayne was 14, he and four other boys formed a "Nature Club."Remarkably, all four of these boys went on to receive their Ph.D.s.

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Oberlin College Trip1916

Oberlin College Ecology Trip 1916Olympic Peninsula of Washington

Helen & Wayne

2. At the age of 17, Wayne'joined his older sister Helen on a 6-week­long Oberlin College sponsored ecology trip to the Olympic Peninsula ofWashington. Helen specialized on plants and Wayne on birds.

Camping on the ocean shore and traveling by dugout canoe with twoNative Americans, Wayne learned details of the evergreen forests of thePacific Northwest. That fall, Wayne entered Oberlin College starting outin Chemistry but ultimately changing to Ecology. By 1920, Wayne waslacking but a few credits to graduate.

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Oberlin College TripAcross the USA 1920

http://www.departments.bucknell.edulbiology/manning/index.html

Across Missouri & KansasUp Pikes PeakTo Moab & Great Salt LakeVisited Bryce & Grand

CanyonsArizona & Nevada desertsInto California - Pacific Grove

Oberlin Group Roadside Camp 1920

3. Consequently, Wayne embarked on a second Oberlin-sponsored trip with15 other students, one of whom was his future wife Margaret "Peg" Sheldon thatcrossed the USA in four Model T Fords and one truck. The group camped alongthe roadsides and traveled without the advantage of AAA "TripTics." On his website account of this cross-country trip, Wayne offered - "In those days therewere no numbers on the highways - you had maps." There were three parallelroads going across Kansas but the group didn't know which one was best.Consequently, they stopped at a garage to ask which one was better. And theanswer was, "no matter which one you take, you'll wish you'd taken the others."The "Across the USA" web site details Wayne's account of this trip - some ofthat account is in his own words. After visiting Pikes Peak, the Great Salt Lake,Moab, and many other scenic western landscapes, the Oberlin group visitedBryce Canyon - the group was much impressed with the wonderful erosionalgeology. On his web page, Wayne recounts their Bryce Canyon visit with thefollowing story."Most of the people decided to go down into the canyon." And Wayne and Pegwere no exception. Wayne offered "I took Peg's hand and we went down intothe canyon but it's loose gravel - just a little bit scary - our conversation, ourtotal conversation, was this "I don't like it, Wayne. Wayne, I don't like it. I don'tlike it, Wayne. Wayne, I don't like it. And this conversation continued all the waydown."After submitting his written account of the trip, Wayne earned enough credits tograduate from Oberlin College in 1920. Curiously though, Wayne hadn't takenany Botany courses while an undergraduate. However, the experiences of thistrip and the influences of Professor Jones and his botanist brother led Wayne todecide to study Botany.

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Married Peg - June 11, 1924Cornell Ph.D. - 1926

4. In 1921, Wayne began his graduate work in Botany at CornellUniversity. The Cornell years were punctuated by Wayne and Peg'smarriage on June 11, 1924. Wayne completed his Ph.D. on the floralanatomy of the Walnut family in 1926. After serving as an Instructor inBotany at Cornell, Wayne joined the faculty of the University of Illinois,Urbana for the 1927-1928 academic year.

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Early Years

University of Illinois1927-28

Alan bornAugust 12, 1928

Smith College1928-42

Defense plantWorld War II

Prior to Alan leaving for the Korean War

5. Their son, Alan was born on August 12, 1928 as they moved toSmith College. Wayne was promoted to Associate Professor of Botany in1936 and completed 14 years before Wayne's Smith College career wasterminated along with the careers of fourteen other faculty.

During World War II, Wayne worked in a Defense Plant teaching womenmachinists basic mathematics. He also worked himself as a machineoperator, then as a materials order person. In 1944, Wayne wrote to thePresidents of some 125 colleges seeking a faculty position in Botany. Hereceived but one positive reply, thankfully for us that reply came fromBucknell University.

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Bucknell Years1945-1968

Wayne & Peg in Botany Greenhouse

Wayne 1955

6. Wayne began his Bucknell career in 1945, a career that spanned 23years until his retirement in 1968. In those early days, the biologydepartment had but five faculty and the University was home toapproximately 1,200 students. Wayne taught Bucknellians to understandand love plants. He was known as the professor who took students"under his wings" and he guided many to careers in the sciences andhealth professions.

During their Bucknell years, Wayne and Peg developed the wonderfulliving plant collection that once grew in the Botany Building greenhousebut that now crowns the Bucknell Biology Building.

There were no plants in the Bucknell greenhouse when the Manningsarrived. The Mannings built the collection from zero to over 400 plantspecies. Peg managed the day-to-day operation of the greenhouse underWayne's watchful eye.

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Wayne E. ManningHerbarium

22,000 specimensSearchable online

database:http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biologY/facilities/herbarium!

Wayne & MargaretManning Internship inBotanical Sciences

Kelly Hyland with Wayne in Herbarium

7. Wayne and his students also developed the impressive preservedplant collection known today as the Wayne E. Manning Herbarium. Withits 22,000 specimens, it supports both research and curricular activities.Wayne's financial support of the herbarium has enabled the maintenanceand addition of specimens as well as the development of an onlinecomputer database of the collection that many of you have viewed thisevening.

As an enduring legacy of Wayne and Peg's love for students, theyestablished the Wayne and Margaret Manning Internship in BotanicalSciences in 1992. This bequest nurtures student research and will do sofor generations to come.

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Teacher-Scholar

Wayne in BotanyGreenhouse 1950

Wayne in BotanyLab undated

8. Wayne was one of the pioneers whose example became Bucknell's'Teacher-Scholar" model. A beloved teacher - Wayne's love of botany and hisremarkable ability to share it has inspired generations of students. Aninternationally recognized scholar - his research and over 40 publications onthe walnut family remain as the seminal works for this plant group.

One of Wayne's research colleagues, Professor Don Stone of Duke Universitywrote to me this week requesting that I offer Wayne his very warmest wishes onhis 104th birthday -

"Please extend my heartiest congratulations to Wayne on his 104thbirthday. He has clearly touched the hearts, souls and minds of so manypeople, but for me, his successor in research on the walnut family, there is avery special bond of appreciation."

Professor Stone also added "The birthday cake has the potential to be trulyimpressive!" I wonder if he was thinking about the flames from 104 candles!

Indeed, Wayne's contributions to our understanding of plants were honoredwhen a walnut species was named for him - Alfarao manningii.

After accepting my position at Bucknell, I recall with great fondness listening tomy graduate school mentors at Harvard University as they recounted the world­class research of Dr. Wayne Manning at Bucknell University. I felt fortunate tobe able to continue the botanical tradition fostered by Wayne.

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..

Happy 104th

Birthday!!

'~'•..".,;. t~,'., '-.. \. ,'ff

Wayne's 100th birthday

Wayne & Peg "Cottage Home"Forest Lake, NH

9, Wayne has taught many of us the details of the lives of plants - andhe has also been a wonderful mentor and example. We thank you,Wayne, for your friendship &mentorship. Most of all though - we wishyou a very Happy 104th Birthday!!

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