The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory: A Century of Discovering the Nature of Nature

A Regents Institution, 1947–2007

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4 9 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • a regents institution after wor l d war i i two events changed the course of Lakeside , giving it both breadth and power. The first was a reorganization of the administrative structure. In 1947 director Joseph Bodine wrote a letter to SUI’s president Virgil Hancher pointing out the shortcomings of an administrative system where the five managers had no budget to provide for maintenance or operation; instead, each year the director was required to apply to the SUI Summer Session to cover salaries. Bodine proposed that the State Board of Education (today the State Board of Regents) make the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory a Board Institution in the service of the three state universities (UI, ISU, and UNI in current terminology). The Board agreed and acted almost immediately to dissolve Lakeside’s Board of Managers and assume provisional control of Lab operations. In 1948 Bodine laid out his plans for the administration of the Lab, including specific funding earmarked for general overhead, equipment, instruction and research, and caretaker’s salary. He proposed a program of quality, not quantity, applied to both teaching and research—he wanted the highest quality undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty (Bovbjerg, Ulmer, and Downey 1974, 13). The State Board of Education (Regents) accepted these recommendations and later in the year assumed responsibility for the Station. At the University of Iowa the control of the Lab passed from the Summer School to its Extension Division. The Lakeside Laboratory Association was dissolved and its total assets ($4,742.80) were turned over to the State Board, which SUI used through its Graduate School to establish its program of Macbride scholarships. These scholarships provided tuition waivers for qualified students taking courses at Lakeside. The second event that changed the Lab was slower to develop and likely resulted from Bodine’s reorganization—the curriculum began to expand (appendix 1). In 1946 returning veterans and students too young 1947–2007 5 0 • a regents institution, 1947–2007 to have served could choose from among field biology, taught by R. L. King, and protozoology, taught by Theodore Jahn, the same two courses offered between 1937 and 1941. In 1948 biology of the mosses was added when Professor Conard returned. This curriculum held through 1951. In 1952 algology and plant taxonomy were added, increasing the offerings to five courses. Algology was taught by John Dodd from Iowa State. Dodd taught algology for an extraordinary thirty-two years (until 1983) (fig. 19). It is easy to see why students loved Dodd—no one had a drier sense of humor. When sampling near wetlands Dodd would advise his students, “Leave no tern unstoned” (MJL, personal observation). Plant taxonomy was covered until 1963 by Robert Thorne and the free-spirited, naturist-naturalist Martin Grant. In 1953 limnology was added to the curriculum ; parasitology (later helminthology) began in 1954. The instructor for parasitology, Martin Ulmer from Iowa State (fig. 20), began a twenty19 . Professor John Dodd (with hat) and students examining plants on what looks to be Cayler Prairie in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Courtesy of University Archives, Department of Special Collections, University of Iowa Libraries. a regents institution, 1947–2007 • 51 three-year run that ended in 1976 when he became the associate dean of the Graduate School at Iowa State. One of Ulmer’s favorite things was to comb the labs late at night gathering students. This group would hike south across the Presby beach and up the hill into Wahpeton to Miller’s Bay Store for pizza and beer. Ulmer ate more and slept less than most, and could easily handle this excess. For the students, however, a few nights of such overindulgence strung together took a deep toll. Today instructors tell their students: give me the week and I’ll give you the weekend (MJL, personal observation). By 1954 Lakeside offerings consisted of seven courses. Three—field biology , plant taxonomy, and limnology—could be said to be staples of any inland field station curriculum. The other four—protozoology, biology of the mosses, algology, and parasitology—represented a combination of 20. Professor Martin Ulmer examining parasites prepared on microscope slides in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Courtesy of University Archives, Department of Special Collections , University of Iowa Libraries. 52 • a regents institution, 1947–2007 faculty interests and the opportunities for collection and observation that Lakeside offered. Viewed another way, field biology and protozoology reflected past successful...