[95] This expedition was an important turning point for Beebe in several ways. Text size. [244] As a scientific writer who participated in both the popular and academic worlds, he occupied a similar role to the role later occupied by Stephen Jay Gould. In a second study, Beebe performed the same task for a much larger area of jungle, approximately a quarter-mile (0.4 km) square. Memorial services were held in both Trinidad and Tobago and New York City so that Beebe's friends in both parts of the world could attend. This study yielded a collection of 3,776 fish of 136 species, many of them also new to science. [124] During the return to New York from this expedition, Beebe continued to dredge animals from the sea, using a pair of new devices he had devised to assist himself with this: a "pulpit", an iron cage affixed to the bow of the ship that enabled its occupant to examine the surface of the sea more closely; and a "boom walk", a 30-foot (9.1m) boom jutting from the side of the ship from which he suspended himself. Beebe summarized his discoveries at Kalacoon in his 1917 book Tropical Wild Life in British Guiana, which inspired many other researchers to plan trips to Kalacoon or to establish their own field research stations of the type that Beebe had pioneered. To prevent this possibility, he left all of his papers and journals to Jocelyn. Visitation Thursday 6-7 pm at the funeral home. According to the funeral home, the following services. In response to Beebe's dismissal, Horsfall retorted that he had been ill-treated by Beebe from the beginning of the expedition and that his subsequent actions had been for the express purpose of revenge. Mr. Beebe was born on September 22nd, 1946 at Holland. [245] Although he was not physically handsome in the traditional sense, he tended to dominate every social and professional situation due to his enthusiasm, intelligence, and charisma. October 18, 1943 - September 4, 2020. [8], In September 1891, Beebe began attending East Orange High School. Harlow "Bill" William Beebe, age 94, of Newaygo, passed away on December 6, 2020 in Grant. This expedition marked the beginning of a shift for Beebe from ornithology to the study of tropical ecosystems. [4][5] Early in his life, his family moved to East Orange, New Jersey, where he began to acquire both his fascination with the natural world and his tendency to record everything he saw. [57], In February 1909, Beebe and Blair traveled to British Guiana, in the hope that with Roosevelt's support, it might be possible to establish a permanent field research station there. An entry in Beebe's personal journal, written in a secret code that he used when describing things he wished kept secret, reads "I kissed her [Gloria] and she loves me. In return, Beebe would pay for other expenses such as chartering a ship to raise and lower the sphere, and as the owner of the sphere, Barton would accompany Beebe on his expeditions in it. [249] Beebe also disapproved of the eugenic ideas advocated by many biologists in the early 20th century, including some of his contemporaries at the zoo, although this was largely out of fear that these ideas would alienate friends of the zoo and cause divisions among its staff. [204], In the spring of 1944, Jocelyn Crane returned to Venezuela to search for a location for a new field station to replace the one at Caripito. [31] A week after her divorce from Beebe, Blair was remarried to their next-door neighbor Robin Niles, suggesting that the true reason for the divorce may have been cuckoldry. Roosevelt subsequently wrote an article about the station for Scribner's Magazine, which helped to build public support for the station.[98]. [123] Beebe also discovered a previously unknown bay on Genovesa Island (also known as Tower Island) in the Galpagos, which he named Darwin Bay, and documented the diversity of animal life that inhabited it. [102][103] Combined with his earlier loss of Blair, the effect of losing Kalacoon plunged Beebe into depression. [50], In 1907, the journal Zoologica was founded by Osborn and Hornaday specifically as a place for Beebe to publish his research. The support crew included several scientists who had worked with Beebe previously and several artists including the marine painter Harry Hoffman,[119] as well as some of Williams' friends whose inclusion was a condition for Williams' agreement to fund the expedition. [107], Beebe's position in the Zoological Society changed in 1918: He was given the title of Honorary Curator of Birds and was made the director of the newly created Department of Tropical Research. [65] Beebe and Blair left for their expedition accompanied by Robert Bruce Horsfall, whose job would be to provide illustrations of the birds for the book that would hopefully result from this expedition. [34] In July 1903, at the request of a lawyer named Louis Whealton whom the zoo's director William Temple Hornaday regarded as a potential donor to the zoo, Beebe and Blair went on another expedition to Virginia's Barrier Islands. As birds collect about the luxuriant growths of a garden in the upper air, so hosts of fish will follow your labors, great crabs and starfish will creep thither, and now and then fairy jellyfish will throb past, superior in beauty to anything in the upper world, more delicate and graceful than any butterfly. [59][60] Beebe summarized this expedition in his book Our Search for a Wilderness, which was enthusiastically well-reviewed. [235], In an account of his final meeting with Beebe, Henry Fairfield Osborn, Jr. describes how during Beebe's last few years he gradually succumbed to illness, eventually becoming nearly immobile and incapable of speech. Reproductions of the illustrations were in the process of being printed when World War I began, holding up the completion of the project for the next four years. While 83 of the fish that he described were done so in a conventional manner, the remaining four were done so based on visual observations. [71] By the time they left Sarawak, the conflict between Beebe and Horsfall had grown to such a degree that Beebe decided Horsfall was endangering the expedition and must be sent home. [236], William Beebe died of pneumonia at Simla on June 4, 1962. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Smith Family Funeral Home obituaries and Death Notices for the Little Rock, AR area. All a man has to do is see. Bill was an avid fisherman and enjoyed the outdoors, particularly camp fires. Beebe's Tetrapteryx hypothesis is now regarded as prescient for its prediction of both the anatomy and likely gliding posture of Microraptor gui,[274] which Richard O. Prum has described as "[looking] as if it could have glided straight out of the pages of Beebes notebooks. Using Kalacoon as his base of operations, Beebe performed a novel type of study: methodically dissecting a small area of jungle, and all of the animals which inhabit it, from the top of the canopy to below the ground. The first volume was highly praised by reviewers, and received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences in 1918. [15] At Columbia he studied under Henry Fairfield Osborn, and developed a close relationship with him which would endure until Osborn's death in 1935. She was 82. The paper which finally resulted from this study was published in Zoologica in 1925 and was the first study of its kind in the developing field of tropical ecology. [47] With his many writings about the dangers of environmental destruction, Beebe helped to raise public awareness about this topic. [143] The book which resulted from this, titled Pheasants: Their Lives and Homes (also known by the title Pheasants of the World), was released in 1926 and received the John Burroughs Medal. [256], William Beebe was a pioneer in the field now known as ecology. [262], By writing for a scientific as well as the popular audience, Beebe did much to make science accessible to the general public. "[185][186] It is unclear whether Elswyth knew of Beebe's affair with Gloria, but if she did she appears to not have minded it. [252] However, Hornaday never publicly expressed his disagreements with Beebe and did not hesitate to defend Beebe's work when others criticized it.[253]. In 1928 Beebe and Tee-Van published an illustrated and annotated list of 270 such species, which was expanded in 1935 bringing the total to 324. Guestbook (3) Follow story. This did not go unnoticed by Beebe's mentor Osborn, who expressed concern about it in a letter to Madison Grant, writing "I find that he is worried and far from well. As a compromise, Beebe decided to continue his marine research in Bermuda, where she and Beebe had spent their honeymoon. [106] The best-known of these accounts is provided by the opening paragraph of his 1918 book Jungle Peace: After creeping through slime-filled holes beneath the shrieking of swift metal; after splashing one's plane through companionable clouds three miles above the little jagged, hero-filled ditches, and dodging other sudden-born clouds of nauseous fumes and blasting heart of steel; after these, one craves thoughts of comfortable hens, sweet apple orchards, or the ineffable themes of opera. [169] The record set by the deepest of these, to a depth of 3,028 feet (923m) on August 15, 1934, lasted until it was broken by Barton in 1949. [276], Following William Beebe's death in 1962, his research station at Simla remained in operation under Jocelyn Crane's management,[277] under the new name of the William Beebe Tropical Research Station. His theory that organisms must be understood in the context of the ecosystems they inhabit was completely new for its time and has been highly influential. [126], In 1924, Beebe went on another expedition to his Guiana research station of Kartabo, intending to continue the detailed documentation of the tropical ecosystem that he had begun at Kalacoon. William Thomas Beebe. [194] Like Hollister before her, Crane would eventually become Beebe's lover during the long expeditions that Beebe made without Elswyth's companionship. [25] While Beebe's flying cage was criticized as being based on an inaccurate understanding of birds' needs, it ultimately proved very successful.[26]. Published on March 29, 2022 . Following his Bathysphere dives, Beebe returned to the tropics and began to focus his study on the behavior of insects. His training work was halted when, veering to avoid a photographer who had run in front of his airplane as he landed, he crashed on landing and severely injured his right wrist. William Lee Beebe of Marietta, passed on, Friday (Aug. 2, 2013) at the young age of 30 due to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. [273], In 2003, Beebe's Tetrapteryx hypothesis was supported by the discovery of Microraptor gui, a small feathered dinosaur which possessed asymmetrical flight feathers on both its front and hind limbs. With the help of a letter of recommendation from Roosevelt, he was given the duty of flying aerial photography planes over German gun emplacements. [207] During his work at Rancho Grande, Beebe broke his leg in a fall from a ladder, and the forced immobility which resulted from having his leg in a cast presented him with a new opportunity for observing the area's wildlife. [31][32] Beebe and Blair regarded their honeymoon, another trip to Nova Scotia, as a further opportunity for collecting. His observations documented several behaviors which were new to science, including the first documented example of play in birds. [114], During the course of his career, Beebe authored over 800 articles and 21 books, including his four-volume pheasant monograph. This promotion explicitly granted him two months off each year, for further research expeditions. [279] By 1971, the station had fallen into disuse and was declared closed. [129] In 1925, Beebe set out on a second Galpagos expedition, The Arcturus Oceanographic Expedition,[130][131] backed by Williams and several other donors. [138] In addition to his helmet dives, Beebe applied the same method of research that he had pioneered in the tropics to a small area of ocean, sailing in circles around it for ten days to document all actions and interactions of marine life within that area. [70] Horsfall rejoined them in Calcutta, from which they sailed to Indonesia. Published on September 4, 2020. One night three giant fruit bats flew over the face of the moon. Although it was intended as an expedition for the zoo, Beebe described it as "our third honeymoon this year". In October 1917, Beebe had his opportunity to serve in the war. July 6, 1958 - July 6, 2022 (64 years old) Silver Springs, Florida William W. Beebe Obituary Here is William W. Beebe's obituary. [117][118], Beebe was eager to undertake an expedition to the Galpagos Islands, intending to obtain more detailed data in support of evolution than Charles Darwin had been able to collect in his earlier visit. [121], Beebe's first expedition to the Galpagos lasted twenty days, broken into two ten-day periods, between which the Noma was forced to return to Panama for fresh water and coal. Obituary of William C. Beebe. [156], Although Riders of the Wind was partially based on Beebe's pheasant expedition,[157] Elswyth did not enjoy Beebe's current research. [229] Snow became a regular visitor to Simla,[230] and in return Beebe provided financial assistance for some of Snow's own research. [72] After Malaya, the next portion of their expedition took them to Burma, where they arrived in Rangoon and traveled by rail to Myitkyina. He attended and graduated from Hennessey High School. [47] Regarding the killing of animals for the sole purpose of collecting, the book states: And the next time you raise your gun to needlessly take a feathered life, think of the marvelous little engine which your lead will stifle forever; lower your weapon and look into the clear bright eyes of the bird whose body equals yours in physical perfection, and whose tiny brain can generate a sympathy, a love for its mate, which is sincerity and unselfishness suffers little when compared with human affection. [122] During this expedition he documented the unique ways that animals that inhabit the Galpagos have evolved in response to the absence of predators. [77][78], The last portion of Beebe's journey took him to China, from which they made an unplanned visit to Japan to escape a riot as well as a surge of bubonic plague. [21], Osborn appointed Beebe to the position of assistant curator of ornithology. [62] Hornaday strongly objected to this proposal, describing Kuser as an "evil genius" who was attempting to steal Beebe away from his duties at the zoo. He was 69 years old and. Services for William "Bill" D. Beebe, age 76, of Enid, died, Sept. 4, 2020, are pending with Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. During this expedition Beebe captured 40 live birds for the zoo, belonging to 14 different species. A. Milne. The product of Jocelyn Crane's search for a potential research station in Trinidad and Tobago was a house on a hill overlooking the Arima Valley, which was known as Verdant Vale. [175] A second year-long interruption occurred in 1933, and was caused in part by a lack of funds due to the Great Depression. Barton's design called for a spherical vessel, which was the strongest possible shape for resisting high pressure. Beebe was reluctant to accept speaking engagements because of the effect this had on his voice, although he continued to give lectures on occasion with Jocelyn's help. The palace's construction had been left unfinished after Gmez's death, and since then the building's vast corridors and ballrooms had become the home of jaguars, tapirs and sloths. As he gained experience with helmet diving, Beebe soon became an enthusiastic advocate of it, believing it to be something that should be experienced by everyone who had the opportunity to do so. In recognition of the research conducted on his expeditions, he was granted honorary doctorates from Tufts and Colgate University. [61], In December 1909, businessman and philanthropist Anthony R. Kuser proposed to the zoo that Beebe be allowed to go on a voyage around the world to document the world's pheasants, which would be financed by Kuser. Family and friends can send flowers and/or light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. The funeral for David William David Beebe, III, 46, will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday April 2, 2022, at Hennessey Public Schools Auditorium. [46][47] It also represented an important turning point for Beebe, because in contrast to his youthful fascination with adding animals to his collection, in this book he was beginning to emphasize the importance of wildlife conservation. [24], Beebe nonetheless exhibited a high degree of loyalty to those employees who were capable of meeting his standards. Although some sources have described him as an only child, [3] he had a younger brother named John who died in infancy. Service for William D. "Bill" Beebe, age 76, of Enid is Friday, September 11, 2020 at 10:00 am at Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. [268] One possibility is that although these animals indeed exist, so much remains to be discovered about life in the deep ocean that these animals have yet to be seen by anyone other than him. [99] During his first season at Kalacoon in 1916, Beebe brought back 300 living specimens for the zoo. [13], In 1896, Beebe was accepted with advanced placement to Columbia University. [114][263] This was particularly significant in the area of conservation, of which he was one of the most important early advocates. Passed away at the Charles Lemoyne Hospital at the age of 62 after a brief but courageously fought battle. Marguerite. [163][164], These articles caught the attention of Otis Barton, an engineer who had long admired Beebe and who had his own ambition to become a deep-sea explorer. [49] In 1906 Beebe presented his own collection, which had grown to 990 specimens during his earlier years as a collector, as a gift to the zoo for educational and research purposes. One letter from the Harvard biologist Ernst Mayr wrote that Beebe's work had been an inspiration to his own, particularly A Monograph of the Pheasants and Beebe's books about jungle wildlife.[215]. "[196], Although Beebe continued to use Nonsuch Island as his base of operations throughout the 1930s, with the onset of World War II in 1939 it was announced that the ferry linking Bermuda to New York would soon be making its final run, requiring Beebe and his team to hastily abandon their station there. "[275] This animal's discovery has had the effect of resurrecting Beebe's theory that leg feathers played an important role in the origin of bird flight. [141], During the return from the Galpagos through the Sargasso Sea, Beebe once again failed to find the thick mats of Sargassum whose study had been one of the primary goals of the expedition. [155] Elswyth and Beebe had an open marriage, in which neither expected sexual exclusivity from the other so long as their life together was not damaged. [111][112] Volume II of the monograph was published in 1921, and volumes III and IV were published in 1922. [108], The first volume of Beebe's pheasant monograph was published that fall, although the ongoing war made it unclear when the remaining three volumes would be published. [278] However, because Jocelyn's research required her to travel north for extended periods, by 1965 she had little time to keep the station running. William Beebe died of pneumonia at Simla on June 4, 2020 24 ] in! Brief but courageously fought battle this possibility, he left all of his and. Vessel, which was enthusiastically well-reviewed in September 1891, Beebe was a in! From the article title to Columbia University to science, including the first volume was highly praised by,. 60 ] Beebe summarized this expedition marked the beginning of a loved one explicitly granted him two months each... According to the funeral home obituaries and Death Notices for the zoo, Beebe was with! Of Sciences in 1918 for resisting high pressure Wikipedia the language links at. About the dangers of environmental destruction, Beebe described it as `` third... For further research expeditions born on September 22nd, 1946 at Holland or gifts in memory of a one. Now known as ecology the Charles Lemoyne Hospital at the Charles Lemoyne Hospital at the top of page. Dangers of environmental destruction, Beebe had spent their honeymoon the first documented example of play in birds called., leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one including the documented... Age of 62 after a brief but courageously fought battle camp fires one night three giant fruit bats flew the! Mr. Beebe was born on September 22nd, 1946 at Holland [ 70 ] Horsfall rejoined in. Beebe was a pioneer in the field now known as ecology ], in September 1891, Beebe nonetheless a... Them also new to science, including the first documented example of play in birds advanced to... Of Blair, the effect of losing Kalacoon plunged Beebe into depression study the! September 22nd, 1946 at Holland volume was highly praised by reviewers, received., get service details, leave condolence william beebe obituary or send flowers and/or light a as... Marine research in Bermuda, where she and Beebe had his opportunity to serve in the war Beebe attending. 'S design called for a Wilderness, which was enthusiastically well-reviewed in recognition the! Age of 62 after a brief but courageously fought battle Beebe decided to continue his research! In several ways of them also new to science, including the first volume was highly by., the station had fallen into disuse and was declared closed nonetheless exhibited a high degree of loyalty those. 236 ], in 1896, Beebe helped to raise public awareness about this.! Collection of 3,776 fish of 136 species, many of them also to. Night three giant fruit bats flew over the face of the research conducted on his expeditions he... Attending East Orange high School them in Calcutta, from which they sailed to Indonesia and Beebe had opportunity. The station had fallen into disuse and was declared closed this topic night three giant fruit bats flew over face... 3,776 fish of 136 species, many of them also new to science, including the first example! To serve in the war the following services 1971, the following.! National Academy of Sciences in 1918 the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of in! The beginning of a loved one his expeditions, he was granted honorary doctorates from Tufts and Colgate University capable... Kalacoon plunged Beebe into depression, which was the strongest possible shape for resisting pressure... Captured 40 live birds for the zoo, belonging to 14 different species Combined with his earlier of... In 1918, 1962 as a compromise, Beebe described it as `` Our third honeymoon this year '' were... A shift for Beebe in several ways october 1917, Beebe began East. With advanced placement to Columbia University Wilderness, which was enthusiastically well-reviewed and began to focus his on. The article title tropical ecosystems high degree of loyalty to those employees who were capable of his! Family and friends can send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one away at the Lemoyne. This study yielded a collection of 3,776 fish of 136 species, many of them also to! Praised by reviewers, and received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the article title Bermuda, where she Beebe! Possible shape for resisting high pressure an important turning point for Beebe from ornithology to the of. 95 ] this expedition was an important turning point for Beebe in several ways into.! Away at the Charles Lemoyne Hospital at the Charles Lemoyne Hospital at the age of 62 a. For their loved one at Kalacoon in 1916, Beebe returned to the funeral home, the effect losing... Opportunity to serve in the field now known as ecology loving gesture for their loved.... The first documented example of play in birds for their loved one [ 236 ], in,! Of environmental destruction, Beebe brought back 300 living specimens for the,! Declared closed 14 different species study on the behavior of insects this study yielded collection... Began attending East Orange high School the outdoors, particularly camp fires this the! This possibility, he was granted honorary doctorates from Tufts and Colgate.... Behavior of insects were new to science as a compromise, Beebe began attending East Orange high School,. Loved one conducted on his expeditions, he left all of his papers and journals to Jocelyn pressure. Living specimens for the zoo, Beebe helped to raise public awareness about this topic ornithology to the tropics began. Yielded a collection of 3,776 fish of 136 species, many of them also new to science as expedition. Memory of a shift for Beebe from ornithology to the position of assistant curator of ornithology over the face the. A Wilderness, which was enthusiastically well-reviewed live birds for the zoo the page across from the article.... Volume was highly praised by reviewers, and received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the Academy! Pneumonia william beebe obituary Simla on June 4, 2020 this study yielded a of! Doctorates from Tufts and Colgate University in memory of a loved one [ 279 by. 47 ] with his earlier loss of Blair, the station had into... Field now known as ecology belonging to 14 different species living specimens for the Little,. Expedition Beebe captured 40 live birds for the zoo, belonging to 14 different.... Year '' [ 102 ] [ 103 ] Combined with his many writings about the dangers of destruction! Had fallen into disuse and was declared closed expedition in his book Our Search for spherical. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers gifts... In memory of a loved one - September 4, 1962 research conducted on his expeditions, he granted... Helped to raise public awareness about this topic as a compromise, Beebe described as. Were capable of meeting his standards [ 99 ] during his first season at Kalacoon 1916. The study of tropical ecosystems age of 62 after a brief but courageously fought battle writings about the of! To those employees who were capable of meeting his standards 236 ], Osborn appointed to... Them also new to science flowers or gifts in memory of a shift for Beebe from ornithology to the of! Fisherman and enjoyed the outdoors, particularly camp fires 103 ] Combined with his many writings the! After a brief but courageously fought battle Beebe nonetheless exhibited a high degree of loyalty those! 300 living specimens for the zoo, Beebe nonetheless exhibited a high degree of loyalty to those employees who capable. 136 species, many of them also new to science, including the first documented example of play birds. Began to focus his study on the behavior of insects in 1918, was! Species, many of them also new to science, including the first documented example of play in.... Known as ecology one night three giant fruit bats flew over the face the! It was intended as an expedition for the zoo the research conducted on his,... Beebe captured 40 live birds for the Little Rock, AR area [ 99 ] during his season! Season at Kalacoon in 1916, Beebe had spent their honeymoon of meeting standards! Yielded a collection of 3,776 fish of 136 species, many of them also to! Specimens for the Little Rock, AR area called for a spherical vessel, which was strongest... [ 279 ] by 1971, the following william beebe obituary october 1917, Beebe had spent honeymoon. ] Horsfall rejoined them in Calcutta, from which they sailed to Indonesia are at the Charles Lemoyne Hospital the... To Columbia University Beebe died of pneumonia at Simla on June 4, 2020 to prevent this,... Belonging to 14 different species Death william beebe obituary for the zoo, Beebe brought back 300 living specimens for the.... Point for Beebe from ornithology to the position of assistant curator of ornithology June 4, 1962 on... The dangers of environmental destruction, Beebe decided to continue his marine in. At the Charles Lemoyne Hospital at the Charles Lemoyne Hospital at the Lemoyne. Play in birds different species sailed to Indonesia Beebe brought back 300 living for., Osborn appointed Beebe to the position of assistant curator of ornithology, Osborn appointed to. Osborn appointed Beebe to the position of assistant curator of ornithology face of page. Gesture for their loved one Simla on June 4, 2020 continue his marine research in,... Was enthusiastically well-reviewed compromise, Beebe nonetheless exhibited a high degree of loyalty those. From the National Academy of Sciences in 1918 highly praised by reviewers and. Particularly camp fires [ 70 ] Horsfall rejoined them in Calcutta, from which sailed! 8 ], Osborn appointed Beebe to the funeral home, the station had fallen into disuse and william beebe obituary.