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Mar 25, 20235 min read

Marine Biological Hall Of Distinction: Rachel Carson

Today’s article is a part of a special collection, known as the Marine Hall Of Fame. Recently we have decided to publish the collection as the Marine Biological Hall Of Distinction. It is the exact same collection, however it is just under a separate name. In this special collection we will discuss marine biologists who we feel have served marine biology & oceanography the most. We do this in order to commemorate these marine biologists & to show gratitude for everything they have contributed to our oceans. This collection has no relation to the main months series. This series publishes on the 25th of every month, shortly after our article on the oceanic environment of a certain region on the 20th. Today’s marine biologist is Ms. Rachel Carson. Rachel Carson was a writer, conservationist, & a marine biologist. She has written many books that are mainly on the topic of oceanic pollution. Her most notable works are Under The Sea Wind, The Sea Around Us, The Edge Of The Sea, & Silent Spring. These books ended up causing a nationwide ban on DDT which saved an unquantifiable amount of of oceanic creatures, as well as marine landscapes. In this article, we will discuss the early life of Rachel Carson, the later life & career of Rachel Carson, & finally her honorables, achievements, & accomplishments. With that being said, let us delve into the life of Rachel Carson. The Early Years & Education Of Rachel Carson Carson was born on May 27th of 1907 on a farm in Springdale Pennsylvania. She was born to Maria & Robert Mclean Carsons as her parents, & was the youngest of 3 children. Since she was young she felt a passion for nature as well as a connection with it. This was largely influenced by her mother as she had the same interests. Carson became a published writer for a children’s magazine at the young age of 10 years. She attended Pennsylvania College for Women, which has since been rebranded as Chatham university. This university is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated magna cum laude in the year 1929 at the age of 22. It is unclear as to what degree she received from Chatham. After this, she began studying at the oceanographic institute woods hole at John Hopkins University. She received a masters degree in zoology after this in the year 1932. It is said that she specialized in the study of the American Eel. After this she entered into a P.h.D program. While a student at Hopkins in the P.h.D program, her family moved to Baltimore in order to be with her. She was the only person with an income in the home at the time. She taught biology at John Hopkins & University Of Maryland as well as being a Lab Assistant. Unfortunately, her financial situation was dire due to her being the sole earner. She unfortunately had to leave this program & take her job at the U.S Bureau of Fisheries. In the year 1935, her father unfortunately passed away due to an ailment. The Career Of Rachel Carson In the year 1936, she was hired by the U.S Bureau of Fisheries. She was the second woman at the time to be hired by this agency. A main reason for her getting this position in the first place, were her outstanding performance on the civil service exam. This is an exam taken before entering the majority of civil service positions. It measures many skills, such as clerical work, forms completion, coding, memory, & inventory of personal experience. Alongside this, she also sold articles to the Baltimore Sun. In the year 1937, her eldest sister passed away, leaving 2 children ages 11 & 12 orphaned. The responsibility fell to Carson to take care of these nieces. She remained in the position with the Bureau Of Fisheries until 1951, while in this position she wrote brochures & other works for the public. In the year 1951, she was promoted to Editor-in-Chief for all publications for the U.S Fish & wildlife service. Along side this, she authored many different books. The most notable of which are Under The Sea Wind (1941), & The Sea Around Us (1951). These books were mainly on the subject of aquatic life. Her first book Under The Sea Wind received great reviews, however it failed to sell at the time. This was mainly due to 1941 being the year that the United States was dragged into World War 2. Under The Sea Wind also based on an article she had written & published in 1937, just 4 years prior to the books release. This article was called Undersea. Her second book, The Sea Around Us, is the book that established her reputation as a nature author. It remained a New York Times Bestseller for a record 86 weeks. It also won the National Book Award for non-fiction in 1952. This book discusses the ocean & its flora & fauna, as well as the geographical features of the ocean. In 1953 she won the Guggenheim grant which along with all book sales, enabled her to move to southport island, an island off the coast of Maine. This move would allow her to concentrate on her writing. In 1955 she published her third book, The Edge Of The Sea. At this time she also struck up a friendship with another nature author who went by the name of Dorothy Freeman. Unfortunately, most of their letters & correspondence was destroyed shortly before Carsons death. Freeman’s granddaughter later published the rest of the letters in her work “Always, Rachel: The Letters Of Rachel Carson & Dorothy Freeman 1952-1964: An Intimate Portrait Of A Remarkable Friendship”. After Carsons niece passed away in the early months of 1957, Carson adopted a son & moved to Silver Spring, Maryland in order to care for her aging mother. It is said that a letter from a close friend of Carsons about the loss of her pet bird due to pesticide exposure, inspired her to write her hit novel Silent Spring. This book primarily touches on subjects such as pesticides & their various negative effects on ecosystems, & the effects of pesticides & DDT on humans. We believe that her title choice of “Silent Spring”, is supposed to mean that these pesticides could cause a silent spring in which nothing would bloom. In this book she also accused chemical industry executives of spreading misinformation & public officials of blindly accepting the information. Chemical companies at the time attempted to discredit her as hysterical woman. However, it was seen soon that President John F. Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee Report & completely validated Carson’s research & conclusions. This showed that pesticides are a major public health hazard. This led to her to receive various medals from the National Audubon Society & the National Geographical Society. As well as an induction into the American Academy of Arts & Letters. Unfortunately, Carson was diagnosed with breast cancer. This led to her unfortunate & untimely death on April 14th, 1964 in Silver Spring Maryland. Carson never married & only had 1 adopted son known as Roger Christie. He is still alive & is currently 71 years of age. It is important to remember, that not only was she a marine author, scientist, & researcher, she was also a magnificent oceanic poet. The Achievements, Honorables, & Awards Of Rachel Carson

  1. She won the George Westinghouse Science Writing Award. (1950)

  2. She won the Guggenheim Fellowship. (1951)

  3. She won The National Book Award For Nonfiction. (1952)

  4. Her first 2 books became New York Time Best Sellers. These books in question were Under The Sea Wind (1941) & The Sea Around Us (1952)

  5. She has many rewards named after her, most notably the Rachel Carson Prize by the British Ecological Society, The Rachel Carson Healthy Planet Award By Chatham University, & The Rachel Carson Award by the National Audubon Society.

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