Ronald L. Stuckey (1938-2022): Ohio Botanist and Educator

Abstract

Ronald L. Stuckey made major contributions to understanding the fora and botanical history of Ohio. Born in Bucyrus (Crawford Co.), he attended Lykens High School, graduated from Heidelberg College, and completed a doctorate at the University of Michigan. He joined the Department of Botany at The Ohio State University in 1965 and passed through the academic ranks, retiring in 1991. He was especially interested in aquatic plants, not only in Lake Erie, but throughout Ohio’s rivers, ponds, marshes, and in relation to the old canal and ancient riverine systems. He used herbarium records to trace the introduction of European invasive aquatics to the eastern seaboard and documented their westward migration across the central states. He was a teacher, having mentored 20 M.S. and 2 Ph.D. students, many of whom assumed infuential positions in natural resources within the state. His botanical history publications have provided a deep appreciation for the contributions of pioneer botanists working in the Ohio Valley during the 19th century. In administrative capacities he served The Ohio State University, particularly at the Franz Theodore Stone Laboratory, and also the Ohio Academy of Science, elected as President 1994–1995. He received the Ohioana book award in 2008 for his history of Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie, and he was inducted into the Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame in 2010. Health problems caused him to retire early from Ohio State, which efectively curtailed his active research career. What he achieved professionally in a span of only 20 active years is remarkable, a life dedicated to research and teaching in the botanical sciences.

Keywords: aquatic plants, Ohio Academy of Science, Ohio State University, research, teaching

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