Bonnie C. Templeton
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Carolyn Templeton served as curator of botany
for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
from 1929 to 1970, a time when women in science were uncommon.
on October 23, 1906, and stumbled onto her vocation by chance. In 1922, at the age of 16, she had moved to Los Angeles
, where she signed up with an employment agency and worked a number of odd jobs. Among these she was sent to help an amateur botanist classify and mount his large collection of dried plants. Templeton came away from the project with a new-found passion for botany.
. In 1932, while collecting plants in the El Segundo sand dunes,http://www.lacoastalprairie.org/pdf/Restorable_Fragments_of_El_Segundo_Dunes.pdf she discovered a possible new species, a rare parasitic plant she named Pholisma paniculatum. Her designation of the plant as a new species proved controversial and has not been generally accepted. Later development of the dunes led to fears the plant had become extinct from destruction of its habitat. However, in the mid-1980s the area was restored as a preserve for the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/species_profiles/el_segundo_blue/, and a survey rediscovered the plant still on the dunes. In November 1938 she married Charles Steinhoff, a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, from whom she was taking flying lessons. While flying to Yuma for the ceremony, their plane developed engine trouble and they were forced to set down in the sand dunes near Palm Springs, wrecking the plane. Undeterred, they procured another plane in Palm Springs and flew on to Yuma to be married.
While working full time at the museum, Templeton attended classes at night, earning her bachelor's degree in botany in 1941 from the University of Southern California. This was followed by her master's degree in 1947, writing her thesis on A Morphological Comparison of Pholoisma Arenarium Nutt, and Pholisma Paniculatum Templeton. On October 17, 1942, Templeton married a second time, to Chester D. Weiche. This marriage lasted until her death.
and paleoclimatology. She earned her doctorate in 1964 from Oregon State University, writing a dissertation on The Fruits and Seeds of the Rancho La Brea Pleistocene Deposits, based on her research at the Rancho La Brea tar pits
. Excavators at the tar pits early in the century had discarded much of the plant material they found, being interested mainly in the bones. But Templeton found records, photographs, and samples of tree trunks, cones, and branches from the pits, and recovered seeds and other plant parts in tar remaining inside animal skulls, the sockets of bones, and even beetle bodies from the tar pits. This included the seeds of many plants that no longer grow in Southern California because it has become too dry, demonstrating a change in climate. Her work showed that the climate and landscape of Southern California during the Pleistocene era
was not hotter and dryer than today's, as was previously believed based on animal fossils, but both cooler and wetter, with a terrain consisting of meadows, marshes, small streams, and woodland.
.
As well as working as the Curator of Botany at the County Museum of Natural History, Dr. Templeton served as an on-call forensic botanist
for the Los Angeles Police Department, consulting on the 1931 homicide of Virginia Brooks and the 1949 Louise Springer case, and the 1953 kidnapping of Baxter Shorter. She gave public lectures on California wildflowers, desert flora, poisonous plants, and gardening, organized plant shows at the museum, and was an active member of the American Association of University Women
. She left the museum in 1970 after 41 years there. Scorning retirement, she founded the California Botanical Science Service, a private consulting business in Glendale, which she operated for another 20 years.
to Oregon State University
to support graduate student research and maintenance of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology's teaching collection. The Dr. Bonnie C. Templeton Annual Lecture at Oregon State was established in her memory.http://www.science.oregonstate.edu/bpp/bonnie_templeton_endowment.htm
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1913 as the Museum of History, Science, and Art. The moving force behind it was a museum association founded in 1910. Its distinctive main building, with fitted marble walls and domed and...
from 1929 to 1970, a time when women in science were uncommon.
Birth and Adolescence
She was born in Newman Grove, NebraskaNewman Grove, Nebraska
Newman Grove is a city in Madison and Platte Counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The population was 797 at the 2000 census.The Madison County portion of Newman Grove is part of the Norfolk, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
on October 23, 1906, and stumbled onto her vocation by chance. In 1922, at the age of 16, she had moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where she signed up with an employment agency and worked a number of odd jobs. Among these she was sent to help an amateur botanist classify and mount his large collection of dried plants. Templeton came away from the project with a new-found passion for botany.
Early career
She proved a quick study, becoming Assistant Botanist at the California Botanic Garden in Los Angeles in 1928. In 1929, she was named Curator of Botany at the County Museum of Natural HistoryNatural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1913 as the Museum of History, Science, and Art. The moving force behind it was a museum association founded in 1910. Its distinctive main building, with fitted marble walls and domed and...
. In 1932, while collecting plants in the El Segundo sand dunes,http://www.lacoastalprairie.org/pdf/Restorable_Fragments_of_El_Segundo_Dunes.pdf she discovered a possible new species, a rare parasitic plant she named Pholisma paniculatum. Her designation of the plant as a new species proved controversial and has not been generally accepted. Later development of the dunes led to fears the plant had become extinct from destruction of its habitat. However, in the mid-1980s the area was restored as a preserve for the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/species_profiles/el_segundo_blue/, and a survey rediscovered the plant still on the dunes. In November 1938 she married Charles Steinhoff, a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, from whom she was taking flying lessons. While flying to Yuma for the ceremony, their plane developed engine trouble and they were forced to set down in the sand dunes near Palm Springs, wrecking the plane. Undeterred, they procured another plane in Palm Springs and flew on to Yuma to be married.
While working full time at the museum, Templeton attended classes at night, earning her bachelor's degree in botany in 1941 from the University of Southern California. This was followed by her master's degree in 1947, writing her thesis on A Morphological Comparison of Pholoisma Arenarium Nutt, and Pholisma Paniculatum Templeton. On October 17, 1942, Templeton married a second time, to Chester D. Weiche. This marriage lasted until her death.
Later career
Templeton's main research interest was paleobotanyPaleobotany
Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments , and both the evolutionary history of plants, with a...
and paleoclimatology. She earned her doctorate in 1964 from Oregon State University, writing a dissertation on The Fruits and Seeds of the Rancho La Brea Pleistocene Deposits, based on her research at the Rancho La Brea tar pits
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphaltum or tar has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water...
. Excavators at the tar pits early in the century had discarded much of the plant material they found, being interested mainly in the bones. But Templeton found records, photographs, and samples of tree trunks, cones, and branches from the pits, and recovered seeds and other plant parts in tar remaining inside animal skulls, the sockets of bones, and even beetle bodies from the tar pits. This included the seeds of many plants that no longer grow in Southern California because it has become too dry, demonstrating a change in climate. Her work showed that the climate and landscape of Southern California during the Pleistocene era
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
was not hotter and dryer than today's, as was previously believed based on animal fossils, but both cooler and wetter, with a terrain consisting of meadows, marshes, small streams, and woodland.
Accomplishments
Dr. Templeton began her career at a time when there were few women in science, and many graduate programs refused to admit women. In a 1993 Los Angeles Times interview, she recalled that the head of the biology department at USC refused to admit her to the doctoral program, telling her that no woman would get a doctorate in botany while he was there. Consequently, she pursued her Ph.D. at Oregon State UniversityOregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
.
As well as working as the Curator of Botany at the County Museum of Natural History, Dr. Templeton served as an on-call forensic botanist
Forensic biology
Forensic biology is the application of biology to law enforcement.It includes the subdisciplines of Forensic anthropology, Forensic botany, Forensic entomology, Forensic odontology and various DNA or protein based techniques.- Applications :...
for the Los Angeles Police Department, consulting on the 1931 homicide of Virginia Brooks and the 1949 Louise Springer case, and the 1953 kidnapping of Baxter Shorter. She gave public lectures on California wildflowers, desert flora, poisonous plants, and gardening, organized plant shows at the museum, and was an active member of the American Association of University Women
American Association of University Women
The American Association of University Women advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. It was founded in 1882 by Ellen Swallow Richards and Marion Talbot...
. She left the museum in 1970 after 41 years there. Scorning retirement, she founded the California Botanical Science Service, a private consulting business in Glendale, which she operated for another 20 years.
Death
Dr. Templeton died of a heart attack and kidney failure January 29, 2002, at the age of 95. She left endowmentsFinancial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
to Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
to support graduate student research and maintenance of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology's teaching collection. The Dr. Bonnie C. Templeton Annual Lecture at Oregon State was established in her memory.http://www.science.oregonstate.edu/bpp/bonnie_templeton_endowment.htm
Selected publications
- Templeton, Bonnie C. (1932). "Methods of Preserving Cacti for Herbarium Use." Desert, March, p 127.
- Templeton, BC. (1938). "A new species of Pholisma." Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, vol. 37, pp. 98–100.
- Templeton, Bonnie C. (1946). "Nomen conservandum proposal for the genus Aromia in the Compositae." Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, vol. 95, p. 37-55.
- Templeton, Bonnie C. (1947). A morphological comparison of Pholoisma arenarium Nutt. and Pholisma paniculatum Templeton. Thesis (M.S.),University of Southern California.
- Templeton, Bonnie C. (1953). "A survey of the Pleistocene flora of California." Research report, University of Southern California.
- Templeton, Bonnie C. (1953). A New Record of Pine Cone for the Miocene Epoch. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, vol. 52, pt. 2, pp. 64–66.
- Templeton BC. (1962). A morphological comparison of Pholisma arenarium Nuttall and Pholisma paniculatum Templeton (Lennoaceae) Contrib. Sci. Los Angeles County Mus., No. 57.
- Templeton, Bonnie C. (1964). The fruits and seeds of the Rancho La Brea Pleistocene deposits. Thesis (Ph. D.), Oregon State University.