Marine Biological Hall Of Distinction: Dr. Thomas Elliot Bowman III
- The Persaud Catalog
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This article is part of our Marine Hall of Distinction collection. In this special collection, we discuss the marine biologists who have contributed most to marine biology & oceanography. We do this to commemorate these marine biologists & show gratitude for everything they have contributed to our oceans. Today's marine scientist is Thomas Elliot Bowman III.
Today’s marine scientist is the extraordinary carcinologist, Thomas Elliot Bowman III! Thomas Elliot Bowman III is a famed marine biologist, carcinologist, & researcher known for his work with isopods & copepods. In his career, he published over 163 papers, & described over 111 new species, the majority of which were isopods.
In today’s article, we are going to delve into his formative years & education, his personal life & career, & his achievements, awards, & accomplishments. With that being said, let’s plunge into the captivating world of crustaceans!
His Formative Years & Education
Thomas Bowman Elliot the III was born on October 21st, 1918. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, little is known of his family or early childhood. He attended Kent School in Connecticut for secondary school in 1937, before moving on to Harvard University. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1941.
Unfortunately, the timing of this was not in his favour, as the United States entered World War 2 that same year. While stationed in Northern California, he attended a Summer Course in Pacific Grove Field Station sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley. This would inspire him to venture into the field of marine science. He spent approximately 4 years in the U.S Army, before being discharged. It is important to mention that his tenure in the military included a degree in veterinary sciences from the University of Pennsylvania.
Upon leaving the army, he headed west to California, & studied for a master’s degree at the prestigious University of California, Berkeley. He completed his master’s degree soon after, & in 1948, headed south to Los Angeles to pursue his P.h.D at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, with the degree formally being granted by the University of California, Los Angeles. Upon entering, he worked under Martin Johnson on a California Current-wide survey sponsored by the California Cooperative Ocean Fisheries Investigation Program. His dissertation focused on the systematics & distribution of pelagic amphipods.
His Career & Later Years
One of his first professional ventures in marine science took him to Rhode Island, working with the Narragansett Marine Laboratory. He stayed for only 6 months, before moving on to the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian in 1955, becoming a curator. He remained in this role for 31 more years.
Unfortunately, he passed away in 1995, at the age of 77. He was described as a thin man, with a twinkle in his eye, & a penchant for mischief & scandal. He was well known for his love of controversy, eccentric style of dress as well as office decor, & fondness of Dixieland-style music. In his writings, similarities could be drawn to the writers Ernest Hemmingway & Albert Camus. In his personal life, he married Mary Jo, his wife, & raised 3 daughters with her.
His contributions to the fields of marine science, & carcinology, will not be forgotten, & he is remembered as one of the most influential crustacean taxonomists of all time. In the words of Frank D. Ferrari, “No American before him has mastered the crustaceans as Tom did, and I suspect none after him will.”
His Achievements, Accomplishments, & Awards
He was the presiding editor of the “Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington”, for 14 years.
He described approximately 111 marine species. This included 55 isopods, 28 copepods, one suctorian, & one chaetognath.
He described 1 new genus, & 1 new order, named Mictacea.
Directories / Credits
No. 1: “The Work of Thomas Elliot Bowman III”, Written by Frank D. Ferrari, & Published at an Unknown date. Published by the Smithsonian Institution.
No. 2: “DEPARTMENT OF INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY: Gallery of Carcinologists: Selected Biographical Sketches”, Written by the Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Smithsonian Institution.
No. 3: “THOMAS ELLIOT BOWMAN III”, Written by Frank D. Ferrari, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Smithsonian Institution.
No. 4: “THOMAS ELLIOT BOWMAN III”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by People Pill.
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