Putnams Support Arnold Arboretum, Museum of Comparative Zoology

Two $1 million endowments for fellowships and expedition grants, established by Nancy B. and George Putnam '49, MBA '51, LLD '85 (hon.), will support study and research at the Arnold Arboretum and the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Last Friday, students, faculty, and friends of the two biological institutions gathered to honor the Putnams, whose latest gift follows several years of annual grants for the Arboretum and the Museum (MCZ).

At the Arboretum, the Katherine H. Putnam Research Fellowships will provide stipends and related research and project expenses for work in horticulture and botany using the Arboretum's living collection of trees and shrubs. Young research scientists entering a career in public horticulture and education are likely candidates for the awards.

George Putnam said, "Like my mother, an accomplished horticulturist for whom we named the fellowships, I am a longtime admirer of the work and scientific collections of the Arnold Arboretum."

A past chairman and vice chairman of the Overseers' Visiting Committee to the Arboretum, Putnam noted that the Arboretum's living collections represent the best-documented collection of Asian woody plants in North America, supported by equally exceptional library and herbarium collections of dried plant specimens.

Arnold Arboretum Director Robert E. Cook said, "Thanks to the Arboretum's longtime friend, George Putnam, we can continue to offer the most promising young scientists an opportunity to experience the richness of our collections and to gain the kind of practical experience that is essential for leadership nationally. We deeply appreciate George and Nancy's commitment to underpinning our research and educational activities."

Faculty and students at the MCZ who are awarded Putnam Expedition Fund grants will travel to regions where living species and their habitats are threatened, and to regions where fossil specimens are likely to hold important clues in the unraveling of evolutionary strategies. The Putnam Fund grants thus fulfill two goals: support of research in comparative zoology and additions of important specimens for the Museum's curatorial needs.

"We think the grants will be useful because scholars beginning exploratory work often have difficulty securing 'seed money' for travel to remote areas," commented Putnam.

"This gift will have a profound effect on the MCZ," noted Director James J. McCarthy. "The Putnams have ensured that many future generations of students and scholars will have opportunities to undertake field research that might otherwise not be supported. Another benefit we happily anticipate is their bringing valuable new specimens to the MCZ collections."

George Putnam, who concentrated in botanical biochemistry as an undergraduate, has retained his interest in botany throughout decades of involvement at Harvard. Now the chairman of the Putnam Funds and the Putnam Investment Management Company, he served as treasurer of Harvard College from 1973 to 1984 and was instrumental in establishing the Harvard Management Company. As a member of the Board of Overseers, he has served on several visiting committees across the University. During its 1972 centennial, he was chairman of the Visiting Committee to the Arnold Arboretum. He remains a member of the faculty of the Museum of Comparative Zoology.