Background
Thomas was born in Holt and grew up in Russellville, Alabama. His father was the town"s superintendent of education. His mother was a music teacher.
( Wisteria, mistletoe, oleander, milkweed, n...)
Wisteria, mistletoe, oleander, milkweed, narcissus, yellow Jessamine, wild hydrangea, trillium, all are plants easily recognized by most people. But these and more that 200 other plants in Alabama and the Southeast can cause systemic poisoning if ingested by human beings and livestock. This book describes these poisonous plants, including various mushrooms, and discusses the toxic properties, symptoms of poisoning, habitat occurrence, and geographic distribution. One chapter describes plants that cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions-plants including poison ivy, poison sumac, ragweed, clematis, and red maple. Other chapters of the book discuss venous animals-not only the six venomous snakes of the Southeast but also certain jellyfishes, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, stinging caterpillars, wasps, hornets, bees, catfishes, stingrays, and others- that might be encountered by people during recreation or work. The authors describe habitat occurrence, geographic distribution, and general life history and behavior for these animals. Numerous color photographs and drawings of both plants and animals are included for identification, as well as hundreds of range maps. The authors encourage an appreciation for the protective mechanisms hat help plants and animals defend themselves against predators or other threats. Although people must be able to recognize a poisonous plant or venomous animal in order to avoid suffering unwary contact, the book reassures the reader that Alabama’s flora and fauna gives us little cause to worry on a relative scale. The information provided increases our understanding of and admiration for these species and their environments.
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( There are perhaps 3,000 species of flowering plants in...)
There are perhaps 3,000 species of flowering plants in Alabama, and the geography of the state provides for an impressive diversity—this work records in color photographs and brief but practical descriptions some 400 of the most common, most showy, and most interesting and significant of these species. A glossary, diagrams of flower parts and types, and an index will guide the curious lay person and satisfy the more serious student as well.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081730147X/?tag=2022091-20
(1960 Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard Uni...)
1960 Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University Number 186 : pages 1-114 with 45 figures and some maps. Printed wraps, minor signs of use and age, very good condition
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assistant Dean professor scientist university administrator vice president
Thomas was born in Holt and grew up in Russellville, Alabama. His father was the town"s superintendent of education. His mother was a music teacher.
AB, Harvard University, 1955. Master of Arts, Harvard University, 1957. Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1959.
Doctor of Science (honorary), University Alabama, 1981. Doctor of Laws (honorary), Stillman College, 1987. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Tri-State University, 1994.
Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), North Carolina State University, 1998.
He served as a professor of biology at The University of Alabama from 1961 until his subsequent appointment as assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, followed by his appointment as vice president for student affairs in 1969. Thomas took the position of chancellor at North Carolina State University in 1976. He was the school"s ninth chief executive.
While in office, enrollment at the university grew by 25 percent and surpassed 20,000 for the first time.
He oversaw the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Center for Economic and Business Studies, the North Carolina Japan Center, and the Caldwell Fellows scholarship program Thomas resigned as chancellor in 1981.
A partial manuscript collection related to Joab Langston Thomas is housed in the North Carolina State University Libraries Special Collections Research Center in Doctorate.H. Hill Library. In 1981 Thomas returned to The University of Alabama to serve as the school"s president, an office he held until 1988.
During his presidency, the university tripled research funding, raised admission standards, established a core curriculum and a University-wide honors program, and initiated the Presidential Scholars program to recruit top students.
He also helped develop the UA Arboretum and served as its second director A notable hire of his presidency at Alabama was that of Ray Perkins to succeed Bear Bryant as the school"s football coach in December 1982. Thomas later hired Bill Curry to succeed Perkins in 1987 when Perkins left to become coach of the National Football League"s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He served as president of Pennsylvania State University from 1990-1995, where he oversaw the largest building program in the university’s history and oversaw Penn State's entry into the Big 10 athletic conference.
The Thomas Building on Penn State"s University Park campus is named in his honor, and houses parts of the Eberly College of Science, including the Department of Statistics. He was co-author of several books, including Wildflowers of Alabama and Adjoining States (1973), Poisonous Plants and Venomous Animals of Alabama and Adjoining States (1990), and The Rising South (1976), as well as numerous articles
Beginning in 1976, Thomas served on the Board of Directors of three agricultural research centers related to the World Health Organization: The International Potato Center (Peru), ISNAR (Netherlands), and the International Fund for Agricultural Research (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, in Kenya) were involved in research and outreach to provide better sources of food around the world. He traveled several times each year to meet agricultural authorities and visit research facilities where this work was being done.
He received honorary doctorate degrees from The University of Alabama, North Carolina State University, Stillman College and Tri-State University.
( There are perhaps 3,000 species of flowering plants in...)
( Wisteria, mistletoe, oleander, milkweed, n...)
(1960 Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard Uni...)
Board directors International Potato Center, 1977—1983, chairman, 1982—1983. Board directors International Service for National Agricultural Research, 1985—1991. Member of Golden Key, Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa (Laurel Crowned Circle award 2001), Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa.
Married Marly A. Dukes, December 22, 1954. Children: Catherine, David, Jennifer, Frances.