Cotton Mather 1918-1999

Southeastern Geographer Vol. XXXXI, No. 2, November 2000, pp. 244-247 COTTON MATHER 1918-1999 P. P. Karan Eugene Lester Mather, widely known as "Cotton," died December 25, 1999, shortly before his 82nd birthday. Born January 3, 1918, on a farm in the tiny Quaker hamlet of Springdale, Iowa, he was brought up in the Midwest and California in circumstances that made a distinct impression on him. His father was in the cattle business , and Cotton traveled frequently with him to cattle ranches and to major stockyards. These early travels by car across the Western United States instilled in young Cotton a love for the rural landscapes of America. His childhood was spent in the uniquely homogeneous Iowa farm community where stern morals and a high regard for honesty prevailed. The family traditions ofeducation, music, and art (and his uncle, a professor of romance languages at the University of Iowa) had a major impact on Cotton in his formative years. Dr. Karan is Professor ofGeography at the University ofKentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0027. Internet: ppkaran@pop.uky.edu. COTTON MATHER, 1918-1999245 Cotton attended grade and high schools in Iowa and California, and entered the University of Iowa in 1935. While at Iowa he undertook a bicycle tour of the Eastern United States and Canada, which was perhaps the starting point of his life-long interest in travel. He transferred to the University of Illinois to study geography, receiving his A.B. degree in 1940 and M.S. in 1941. Cotton then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin for his Ph.D., but his graduate work was interrupted by World War II. He worked as a map editor in the Army Map Service in Washington, DC, and later worked as a research analyst in the office of Strategic Services. He shared the responsibility for research in the European campaigns, and after the Allied victory in Europe he was associated with research on Japan, the Philippines, and China. He received the Ph.D. from the University Wisconsin in 1950. Cotton Mather started his teaching career at the University of Wisconsin in 1946 as a geography instructor, later moving to the University of Georgia in 1947. At Georgia he became deeply interested in the South. He authored a number of papers and participated regularly in the meetings ofthe Southeastern Division of the Association ofAmerican Geographers. His tour guide ofthe South (prepared in collaboration with John Fraser Hart for the 1952 International Geographical Congress) was the first comprehensive field guide to the geography of the South. The results of his field studies during this period appeared in journals such as Economic Geography (1950), Geographical Review (1954), Land Economics (1956), and Landscape (1957). In 1957 Cotton went to the University of Minnesota as a professor of geography . During his tenure there he also served as department chair, supervised the graduate work ofa score ofstudents, and served as mentor to many others. After 26 years at the University ofMinnesota, he retired in 1983. He held 14 visiting professorships at leading American, Canadian, and overseas universities. Cotton Mather was a professor of the old school who took a keen interest in the welfare and success ofhis students both during their time on campus and after graduation . He always remained interested in the careers of his former students and other geographers he came into contact with; all speak highly of his integrity, guidance , and help. Cotton's enthusiasm for his subject was infectious, his clearly expressed lectures and writings were an inspiration to all, and he gave unstintingly of his time to students, colleagues, and friends alike. Cotton was on the faculty at Minnesota during the year of violent student protests against the Vietnam War. His calmness, good sense, and commanding presence were of inestimable value in dealing with "sit ins" and classroom demonstrations. Although Cotton Mather was a well-respected and very effective teacher, and dealt efficiently with departmental administration, his main interest was field research, which occupied a great part of his life. In the early 1960s he organized the annual Big Ten Field Conference to discuss field research in geography. His field experience was extended through involvement in a succession of expeditions and research...