Biologist and beloved faculty member Ben Graham dies

Professor Emeritus of Biology Benjamin F. Graham Jr., 89, died Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. He was a member of the Grinnell College faculty since 1959, and inspired several generations of Grinnell students.

Graham was born Sept. 24, 1920, in East Milton, Mass., and married Susanne Mallard in 1947. The couple had three sons and one daughter.

He received B.S. and M.S. degrees (both in botany) from the University of Maine in 1943 and 1948 respectively. Graham earned a Ph.D. in plant ecology and forest soils from Duke University in 1959. He performed summer research in 1958 and 1959 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Graham served as a captain in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946 in Italy, and in 1951 to 1952 at Fort Benning, Ga.

He came to Grinnell after teaching botany at the University of Maine and Miami University. He also served as Cramer Fellow and Research Associate in Botany at Dartmouth College. Later, he was a visiting biologist at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

At Grinnell, he was the first director of the Conard Environmental Research Area, and in 1976, he wrote a book titled Prairie: A Multiple View about the outdoor biological laboratory. The book detailed the plants and animals (and their interrelationships) at the 365-acre field station. An exceptional storyteller, Graham delighted in taking visitors to the outdoor laboratory, describing the ongoing development of the site, and pointing out the various plant and animal species. A lab at CERA, with computer access, reference library, herbarium, and insect collection, was named in Graham’s honor in 2006.

Graham was chair of the biology department from 1963 to 1965, and served on a number of other campus organizations and committees. He chaired the Program in Practical Political Education, as well as the Committee on Social Policies and Regulations.

His distinguished career as a scientist and educator included numerous publications in professional journals on root-grafting in eastern white pine, airborne pollen and fungus spores, techniques for introducing radioactive isotopes into tree stems, the use of radioactive isotopes in forest ecology research, and more. Graham was awarded several grants from the National Science Foundation. He was listed in “American Men of Science,” and he was a member and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Other memberships included the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the Nature Conservancy, the Ecological Society of America, and service on the board of directors of the Iowa Academy of Science. He was a charter member of the Iowa Nature Conservancy, as well as a member of the board of directors. In addition, Graham served on the Grinnell City Council.

In 1998, Richard (Rick) A. Giesen Jr. ’79 endowed a scholarship for future Grinnell biology majors. The Benjamin F. Graham Jr. Scholarship in Biology is awarded to a biology major with preference given to students who study plant or animal ecology.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday, Nov. 21, 10:30 a.m. in Herrick Chapel, followed by a reception at Forum South Lounge. Smith Funeral Home is helping with funeral arrangements.