Ralph Randles Stewart facts for kids

Ralph Randles Stewart (born April 15, 1890 – died November 6, 1993) was a famous botanist. People often called him R. R. Stewart. He was also the principal of Gordon College in Pakistan.

Early Life and Education

Ralph Randles Stewart was born in Hebron, New York, in the United States. He loved learning and went to Columbia University in New York City. There, he earned his first degree and later his Ph.D. This is a very high university degree.

Years later, he received special honorary degrees. The University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan, gave him a D.Sc. in 1953. Alma College in Michigan, USA, gave him an LLD in 1963. These awards showed how much people respected his work.

A Career in Botany and Teaching

After finishing college in 1911, Dr. Stewart took a job in Rawalpindi, which was then part of India. He taught botany (the study of plants) and zoology (the study of animals) at Gordon College. He worked there for three years, from 1911 to 1914.

He then returned to the United States to continue his studies. In 1916, he earned his Ph.D. in botany. He also married Isabelle Caroline Darrow, who was also a student at Columbia.

Dr. Stewart went back to Gordon College. He became a Professor of Botany and taught there for many years, from 1917 to 1960. He also served as the principal of the college from 1934 to 1954.

After retiring from Gordon College in 1960, Dr. Stewart moved back to the United States. He worked at the University of Michigan Herbarium. A herbarium is like a library for dried plant specimens. He brought over 30,000 plant samples he had collected. These samples came from places like India, Kashmir, and Iran.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Stewart received several important awards for his work. These awards recognized his efforts in education and botany.

In 1938, he was given the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal. This was a special award from the British government in India. Later, in 1961, he received the Sitara-e-Imtiaz. This is a high honor from the government of Pakistan.

He was also recognized by scientific groups. In 1984, he became a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. In 1983, he was made a foreign member of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.

In 1972, a botanist named Eugene Nasir honored Dr. Stewart. He named a new group of flowering plants Stewartiella after him. These plants are found in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Plant Collection and Research

When Dr. Stewart first arrived in India, not much was known about the plants there. Especially in the Western Himalayas. He decided to explore and collect plants. He often traveled by bicycle to places like Kashmir and even into Western Tibet.

He continued collecting plants every summer for many years, from 1912 to 1959. He did all this without any special funding. By 1960, when he retired at age 70, he had collected over 50,000 plant specimens. This huge collection is now known as the Stewart Collection.

He gave his collection to Professor E. Nasir at Gordon College. Today, the Stewart Collection is kept at the National Herbarium of Pakistan in Islamabad. It is a very valuable resource for students who study plants.

Dr. Stewart is known as the "father of systematic botany" in Pakistan. He spent more than 50 years working in the region. He wrote detailed reports about plants in many areas. These included the N. W. Himalayas, Western Tibet, Kashmir, and Balochistan.

Besides flowering plants, he also collected mosses and plant disease samples. These included rusts, smuts, and fungi. His work helped other scientists, like Dr. Arthur and Dr. Cummins, publish their findings.

One of his most important books was "An Annotated Catalogue of Vascular Plants of Pakistan and Kashmir" (1972). This book became the foundation for writing the "Flora of Pakistan." This big project describes all the plants found in Pakistan.

In 1990, Dr. Stewart returned to Pakistan. He visited Gordon College and gave a presentation at a special meeting. This meeting was held to celebrate his 100th birthday. His visit showed his deep love for plant science and for Pakistan.

Personal Life

In 1916, Dr. Stewart married Isabelle Caroline Darrow. She was also a scientist and shared his interest in teaching abroad. They met while studying at Columbia University. Isabelle was born in Hebron, New York, just like Ralph.

They had two daughters while living at Gordon College. Jean Macmillan Stewart Andrews was born in Sialkot in 1919. Ellen Reid Stewart Daniels was born in Jhelum in 1921. They later had six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

After Isabelle passed away in 1953, Dr. Stewart married Winifred Hladia Porter in 1954. He lived a long life and passed away in 1993 in Duarte, California.

See also

In Spanish: Ralph Randles Stewart para niños

• Columbia University
• Gordon College
• National Herbarium Islamabad