JOHN W. THIERET, THE CURATOR

2006·2.2 MB·English

by  Robert F C Naczi

JOHN THE CURATOR
THIERET,
W.
Robert RC. Naczi
Claude Herbarium
Phillips
E.
Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Delaware
State
A
US
ware 1990 1
!
[email protected]
way mark
John Thieret complex and remarkable personality had a of leaving its
s
who who came know him
on encountered him; those met Jolm and even
to
all
many
am
and memories one who, ways,
briefly have rich lasting of him. the in
I
had to step into John's shoes soon after his retirement from Northern Kentucky
my
University, where began academic career in 992. Of course, could never
f
1 1
my NKU
Johns and soon learned new-found colleagues on
shoes, to tell
fill I
meeting them that was occupying the position John had vacated, but
first 1
I
knowmg
was not John's "replacement." Most of the tune, received chuckles in
1
such
response self-introduction.
to a
meant was
Occupying academic appointment John had held the
the also
I
to assume a curatorship for the herbarium that John built. After his arrival
first
NKU
John
Chairman Department no time
in f973 as of the Biology lost in
at
my NKU
John
establishing a herbarium there. During tenure as curator at re-
mained very active— in effect John and served as co-curators of the herbarium
1
my me
makes
uniquely
for nine years, to great benefit. This relationship quali-
fied to remember John The Curator, a side of John to which will limit the rest
1
my
remarks.
of
NKU
John excellence everything concerning the tierbarium.
strove for in
and
and mounting,
put his heart soul into collecting, identifying, labeling,
fie
Though more
filing plant specimens in the herbarium. he collected far speci-
was
mens than most botanists (in the several tens of thousands), he never in
was
he
competition with others to beat their collecting records. Rather, inter-
ested, above in quality over quantity. Instead of complaining about the te-
all,
mounting
dium of pressing plants, typing labels, or gluing specimens on paper,
many
botanists
John took sincere pleasure in executing these tasks that field
on assistants. Once a specimen was in the herbarium, he insisted on the
foist
NKU
Many when
highest standards curation. times hosted visitors to the
for its I
remark
tierbarium, or traveled to use other herbaria in Kentucky, heard the
1
1
m
NKU
that the Herbarium was the best curated herbarium the state of Ken-
Within
Joh
an experience continues
Joh that to
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amaze me. In the late spring of John entered the herbarium the day after
1996, I
had retmmed from
a long field trip tlirough the southeastern United States for
my
me
John found puzzhng specimen had Though
research. over
a collected.
I
was familiar with most lowering plants present in the springtime in decidu-
I
f
m
ous forests of the Southeast, had found something one Alabama forest that
1
completely stumped me. had never seen know
this species, didn't family,
its
1
and couldn't even be sure was a monocot, thougli somehow thought Turn-
it so.
1
ing to John, admhted that didn't know^ where to begin with this one, but
1 I
suspected w^as something "really good." After w^hat else could say to cloak
it all,
1
my my
ignorance? John gazed at find, hesitated only a moment, didn't say a
and marched
word, to one of several bookcases present in the herbarium. There,
many
he removed one one which we had
issue of ol the scientific journals for
long Soon, he produced photograph, and asked me, your
series. a this plant?"
"Is
With
that photograph (Whetstone 1984: reahzed had found the rare
133),
I
I
Croomia
pauciflora (Nutt.) Torr of the obscure family Stemonaceae. In response
my
to query he had seen the plant, John responded, "No, but remembered
if
1
many
seeing that photograph appear in this paper years ago."
When
came
was
to desiderata for the herbarium, John utterly ecumeni-
it
cal. Whether the lowliest, most inconspicuous, most downtrodden w^eed or the
lol tiest tree, John was interested in learning its name, how to identify wJicther
it,
was poisonous, and he had any specimens of in the herbarium. His en-
it il it
thusiasm w^as infectious and quickly endeared him to other naturalists, par-
When
ticularly in the he encountered plant species he hadn't seen
field. a in
My
several years, he would treat the plant as he'd run into a long-lost friend.
if
most recent field trip with John was last April, wJien he came to Delaware for a
on him was
brief visit. insisted taking to a nearby racetrack that full of vernal
1
unmown
weeds in all their glory. Within minutes, John showed me Sihara
knew
vir;^inica (L.) Rollins, a mustard species he well from Kentucky. Further
showed undocumented
investigation be previously Delaware, though
to for
it
m
botanists have been hunting green treasure this state since the earliest 1800s.
m
Such was days work your combination knowledge, keen
all a if of vast eye,
memory
and unclouded what madejohn
w^ere Thieret the unparalleled botani-
he
cal talent was.
John was very generous with imparting knowledge had him
taken
years
it
From
to amass. him, learned a tremendous amount, and have benefited im-
1
Though
mensely. John could be demanding, uncompromising, and prickly
at
he was uncommonly human.
times, also So often wdien expressed frustration
I
at ill-prepared students, particularly ineffectual bureaucracy, or the insuffi-
ciency of a 24-hour day, John would sigh and remark, "In a hundred years, no
one
will care a thing about Yet, he cared about curation, cared about her-
it."
NKU
and
baria, cared especially deeply for the Flerbarium, one of John Thieret's
hundred
great legacies. FlopefuUy, in a years, people will care about John.
NACZIJOHNW.THIERET, THE CURATOR 23
^U
r^-^-^.-i:-^. T.v^^^. -.--j.T.-J;----
."\
John Thieret collecting herbarium specimens, Elko County, Nevadajl August 1993.
REFERENCE
31-137
Whetstone, 984, Notes on Croomia pouciflora (Stemonaceae). Rhodora 86:1
R.D.
1