On her own terms : Annie Montague Alexander and the rise of science in the American West / Barbara R. Stein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stein, Barbara R., 1955- author.

Contributor:

Caroline F. Schimmel Collection of Women in the American Wilderness (University of Pennsylvania)

Schimmel, Caroline F., donor, associated name.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Alexander, Annie Montague, 1867-1950.

Alexander, Annie Montague.

Zoologists--United States--Biography.

Zoologists.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Penn Provenance:

Schimmel, Caroline F. (donor) (Schimmel 7694)

Physical Description:

xvii, 380 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, [2001]

Summary:

"At a time when women could not vote and very few were involved in the world outside the home, Annie Montague Alexander (1867-1950) was an intrepid explorer, amateur naturalist, skilled markswoman, philanthropist, farmer, and founder and patron of two natural history museums at the University of California, Berkeley. Barbara R. Stein presents a luminous portrait of this remarkable woman, a pioneer who helped shape the world of science in California, yet whose name has been little known until now."--Dust jacket flaps.

"Alexander's father founded a Hawaiian sugar empire, and his great wealth afforded his adventurous daughter the opportunity to pursue her many interests. Stein portrays Alexander as a complex, intelligent woman who -- despite her frail appearance -- was determined to achieve something in her life. Along with Louise Kellogg, her partner of forty years, Alexander collected thousands of animal, plant, and fossil specimens throughout western North America. Their collections serve as an invaluable record of the flora and fauna that were beginning to disappear as the West succumbed to spiraling population growth, urbanization, and agricultural development. Today at least seventeen taxa are named for Alexander, and several others honor Kellogg, who continued to make field trips after Alexander's death."--Dust jacket flaps.

Alexander's dealings with scientists and her encouragement -- and funding -- of women to do field research earned her much admiration, even from those with whom she clashed. Stein's extensive use of archival material, including excerpts from correspondence and diaries, allows us to see Annie Alexander as a keen observer of human nature who loved women and believed in their capabilities. Her legacy endures in the fields of zoology and paleontology and also in the lives of women who seek to follow their own star to the fullest degree possible."--Dust jacket flaps.

Contents:

1. Samuel Alexander and Henry Baldwin 3

2. Life in Oakland 13

3. A Passion for Paleontology 22

4. Africa, 1904 35

5. Meeting C. Hart Merriam 48

6. Alaska, 1906 58

7. Meeting Joseph Grinnell 63

8. Founding a Museum of Vertebrate Zoology 76

9. An Unusual Collaboration 88

10. Louise and Prince William Sound 97

11. Support for Paleontology 107

12. Hearst, Sather, Flood 114

13. Innisfail Ranch 120

14. Vancouver Island and the Trinity Alps 138

15. The Team of Alexander and Kellogg 148

16. From "A Friend of the University" 155

17. Founding a Museum of Paleontology 165

18. A Restless Decade 181

19. Europe, 1923 190

20. The Temple Tour 203

21. The "Amoeba Treatment" 214

22. Fieldwork

The Later Years 224

23. Saline Valley 244

24. The End of an Era 253

25. Hawaii

"My Only Real Home" 261

26. The Switch to Botany 274

27. Baja California

Tres Mujeres Sin Miedo 290

28. Investing in the Future 299

29. An Enduring Legacy 308.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 321-358) and index.

Local Notes:

Schimmel 7694: Presented to the Penn Libraries in 2024 by Caroline F. Schimmel. With dust jacket.

ISBN:

0520227263

OCLC:

45890490