Hugh Miller Raup

BORN February 4, 1901

DIED August 10, 1995

Hugh Miller Raup was among the last of Harvard's great field naturalists - a botanist, ecologist and geographer who vigorously applied his immense experience in tropical, temperate and arctic landscapes to landmark studies in natural history and natural resource management. As a teacher, colleague and friend he inspired students and contributed to Harvard and the broader world to the end of his 94 years.

Hugh Raup's childhood and early experiences shaped his career and figured prominently in his classic paper on the land-use history of the New England landscape, "The View From John Sanderson's Farm". Born February 4, 1901 to Gustavus Phillip and Fannie (Mitchell) Raup, Hugh roamed the family farm of Springfield, Ohio and explored the natural and agricultural world of the mid-west. At Wittenberg College he received his A.B. in 1923, along with an introduction to geography from Charles Shatzer who exposed Hugh to geomorphic processes, the cultural forces that shape nature, and a broad temporal perspective on landscape change. Upon graduation, Hugh was appointed as Instructor in Biology and, following receipt of his A.M. degree in 1925 and Ph.D. in 1928 from the University of Pittsburgh, promoted to Assistant Professor at Wittenberg, where he taught until his departure to Harvard in 1932.

At Harvard, Hugh Raup was associated with four botanical institutions: the Arnold Arboretum, where he served as Research Assistant and Associate from 1932-38; the Black Rock Forest where he conducted research for many years; the Department of Botany, where he held appointments as Assistant Professor in Plant Ecology, Associate Professor in Plant Geography, Professor of Botany, and Bullard Professor in Forestry; and the Harvard Forest where he was Director from 1946 to 1967. His passion for geomorphology generated strong ties with the Department of Geography, collaborations with Kirk Bryan in the Geology Department, and a position as Visiting Professor of Geography at Johns Hopkins University for three years after retirement from Harvard in 1967. Subsequently, Hugh and Lucy Raup lived for more than 20 years on the Common in Petersham, Massachusetts where Hugh maintained vigorous correspondence with colleagues and challenged emerging scientific minds with his frequent, lengthy letters. In their last years Hugh and Lucy moved to Wisconsin to be near their son Dave. Hugh was predeceased by his elder son Karl.

Hugh's training in biology and geography and desire to synthesize geological and evolutionary processes in his understanding of natural ecosystems, generated unique contributions to the fields of plant geography, ecology, forestry and natural resources. Beginning with his doctoral research on the vegetation and floristics of the Athabaska-Great Slave Lake Region of Northwestern Canada, Hugh commenced a life-long pursuit documenting the plants and environment of the far north. During subsequent years collaborating with the Canadian National Museum, these studies led Hugh, his family and many colleagues from the boreal forests of Alaska, through subarctic Canada, to the high Arctic of Mesters Veg in northeastern Greenland. Around campfires in the glow of northern summer evenings Hugh and Lucy would undertake the meticulous documentation of field collections that form the basis of all biogeographical study. These summer-long excursions produced a stream of publications describing the systematics and distribution of plants ranging from ferns, fungi and lichens to conifers, characterizing vegetation patterns, and analyzing the soils, environment, and geomorphology that control ecosystems at high latitudes.

As Hugh was immersed in his northern studies, ecologists became embattled in arguments concerning the stability of the environment and vegetation, the organization of biotic communities, and the relative importance of disturbance in regulating ecosystem process. One established view held that equilibrium conditions were the norm, that vegetation developed progressively through a process of "succession" towards relatively stable communities, and that disturbances were rare. This view provided a simple framework for interpreting past changes, predicting future ones, and relating spatial patterns of vegetation to temporal sequences. However, based on his familiarity with the importance of processes in natural ecosystems disturbance and an evolutionary understanding of biological species, Hugh developed alternative notions that shaped his future work and comprised one of his major contributions to ecological science.

Through the course of his career, Hugh's interests broadened beyond plant biology to embrace such topics as Indian archaeology, the role of frost action, lake-level change and winter injury in northern ecosystems, and the influence of natural disturbance and historical land use on forests in Cuba, Honduras, and New England. At the Harvard Forest his tenure as Director, and the studies of his students and colleagues, provided a natural transition between the early research in silviculture and ecological forestry by Richard Fisher and the broad-scale ecosystem work that figures prominently into the current Long Term Ecological Research Program.

Hugh Raup reveled in his role as contrarian and outspoken critic of conventional wisdom and he exported this role from the classroom and academic setting to the world of natural resource management and public education. One member of this committee recalls that Hugh's lively course in plant geography was the very best that he attended as a graduate student and that it attracted students from across the scientific disciplines. With faculty and staff from the Harvard Forest and Business School Hugh conducted an annual series of Conferences on Forest Production that incorporated lessons from economics, land-use studies, geography, and the management history of the Harvard Forest and Northeastern U.S. to address the needs of resource and policy managers from federal agencies, industry, and government. In his popular lecture and article on John Sanderson's farm Hugh taught his message of change, unpredictability of natural and human systems, and ecosystem resilience. It was a lesson well-learned by students of all ages.

Hugh's personal charm, his delightful habit of challenging new as well as established ideas, and his insights drawn from diverse ecosystems made him an exceptional mentor, colleague and friend. His work and ideas continue to challenge new scientists and provide a legacy to the institution that served as his home for nearly 40 years. With a tap and fuss at his pipe Hugh always mused carefully over one's remarks and reciprocated with thoughtful and provocative comments.

Respectfully submitted,

Peter Ashton

P. Barry Tomlinson

Rolla Tryon

David Foster, Chairman

 

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Copyright 1998 President and Fellows of Harvard College