Maynard Jack Ramsay
Encyclopedia
Dr. Maynard Jack "Doc" Ramsay (November 22, 1914 – March 20, 2005) was an American
entomologist
noted for his efforts to track and eradicate exotic parasites
carried in flowers, fruits and other cargoes arriving from overseas. He was listed in American Men of Science
and Who's Who in America.
During his 36 years in government service, he often was called upon to provide his beetle expertise to the Smithsonian Institution
and entomological organizations in the United States and elsewhere. He once provided entomological advice to writer John Steinbeck
and found himself quoted on the subject of killer bees in the opening of Arthur Herzog
's best-selling novel "The Swarm
".
cyst eelworm — the parasitic golden nematode (Globodera rostochiensis). The worm was discovered in 1941 in potato fields on Long Island
, New York
, the only state where it has established a foothold. Around 1946, the worm was found on a lily of the valley plants imported from the Netherlands
. Dr. Ramsay helped trace the worm to infested flower fields in Germany
that had been converted for potato cultivation during World War II
. Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture
began testing cargoes of lilies in Hamburg, which initially slowed the golden nematode's spread from across the Atlantic
. The Golden Nematode Act was enacted on June 15, 1948, to combat the worm. http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps3025/history.html As of 2003, the golden nematode is one of 22 federally regulated organisms in the United States. http://plpnemweb.ucdavis.edu/nemaplex/Mangmnt/Exclusion.htm According to Society of Nematologists, "he played an instrumental role in reducing the spread of Globodera rostochiensis in the United States." http://s97783203.oneandoneshop.com/newsletters/NNL51-2.pdf
He also studied Dutch elm disease
, termite
infestations in Puerto Rico
, and Mexican bean beetles in New York State, and helped develop methods for estimating losses from the parasites. He later trained inspectors from Japan
, El Salvador
, Jordan
, and Indonesia
in an effort to identify infested crops before they reached American shores. When those crops were found, agriculture officials usually ordered the cargoes dumped at sea and the ships fumigated
. Raymond F. Bednar, a former director of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS
) in New York, recalled that Dr. Ramsay "always saw the new pest coming down the pike."
by his mother Lillian Maynard and father William "Dowie" Ramsay, a conductor
and brakeman
for the Nickel Plate Road. Ramsay studied under Dr. Albert R. Shadle
and graduated from the University at Buffalo
with a Bachelor of Arts
in Biology
. Continuing his education at Cornell University
, Ramsay graduated with a Master of Arts
in Mammalogy
.
While living in Staten Island, Maynard Ramsay was awarded a Ph.D.
in Entomology
from Cornell in 1941, and gained employment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Dr. Ramsay was one of the first few Ph.D. holders in service to the Department, and thus, colleagues bestowed him with the nickname "Doc". Encouraged by Dr. Shadle, Maynard Jack Ramsay then married Alberta June Wentworth, a beautician
and owner of Alberta's Beauty Shop, from Canisteo
.
From 1950 to 1956, "Doc" Ramsay served as a port entomologist, and then in 1967 was appointed to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. He retired in 1977. Dr. Ramsay was also a former president of the Insecticide Society of Washington.
Alberta Ramsay died in 2003. Two years later, Maynard Ramsay died of pneumonia
on March 20, 2005, in a Silver Spring
nursing home
. The couple resided in Bowie
, Maryland
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
noted for his efforts to track and eradicate exotic parasites
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
carried in flowers, fruits and other cargoes arriving from overseas. He was listed in American Men of Science
American Men and Women of Science
American Men and Women of Science is a biographical reference on leading scientists in the United States and Canada published as a series of books and online by Gale, a unit of Cengage Learning. Gale acquired the title from Information Today, Inc. in 2001....
and Who's Who in America.
During his 36 years in government service, he often was called upon to provide his beetle expertise to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and entomological organizations in the United States and elsewhere. He once provided entomological advice to writer John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
and found himself quoted on the subject of killer bees in the opening of Arthur Herzog
Arthur Herzog
Arthur Herzog was an American novelist, non-fiction writer, and journalist, well known for his works of science fiction and true crime books.His novels The Swarm and Orca have been made into films...
's best-selling novel "The Swarm
The Swarm
The Swarm is a 1978 disaster film about a killer bee invasion of Texas. It was adapted from a novel of the same name by Arthur Herzog.The director was Irwin Allen, and the cast included Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant,...
".
Work
Dr. Ramsay was widely known for his research on a potatoPotato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
cyst eelworm — the parasitic golden nematode (Globodera rostochiensis). The worm was discovered in 1941 in potato fields on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the only state where it has established a foothold. Around 1946, the worm was found on a lily of the valley plants imported from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Dr. Ramsay helped trace the worm to infested flower fields in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
that had been converted for potato cultivation during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
began testing cargoes of lilies in Hamburg, which initially slowed the golden nematode's spread from across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The Golden Nematode Act was enacted on June 15, 1948, to combat the worm. http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps3025/history.html As of 2003, the golden nematode is one of 22 federally regulated organisms in the United States. http://plpnemweb.ucdavis.edu/nemaplex/Mangmnt/Exclusion.htm According to Society of Nematologists, "he played an instrumental role in reducing the spread of Globodera rostochiensis in the United States." http://s97783203.oneandoneshop.com/newsletters/NNL51-2.pdf
He also studied Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
, termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
infestations in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and Mexican bean beetles in New York State, and helped develop methods for estimating losses from the parasites. He later trained inspectors from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in an effort to identify infested crops before they reached American shores. When those crops were found, agriculture officials usually ordered the cargoes dumped at sea and the ships fumigated
Fumigation
Fumigation is a method of pest control that completely fills an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is utilized for control of pests in buildings , soil, grain, and produce, and is also used during processing of goods to be imported or...
. Raymond F. Bednar, a former director of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead agency for collaboration with other agencies to protect U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and...
(APHIS
Aphis
Aphis may refer to:* Aphis, a genus of aphid species* Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service , organizational unit of the USDA* HMS Aphis , Royal Navy insect class gunboat...
) in New York, recalled that Dr. Ramsay "always saw the new pest coming down the pike."
Life
Maynard Ramsay was born and raised in BuffaloBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
by his mother Lillian Maynard and father William "Dowie" Ramsay, a conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
and brakeman
Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...
for the Nickel Plate Road. Ramsay studied under Dr. Albert R. Shadle
Albert R. Shadle
Dr. Albert R. Shadle was an American biologist noted for his research into porcupines and beavers. From 1919 until 1953, Shadle served as chairman of the biology department, and was instrumental in the advancement of science education, at the State University of New York at Buffalo...
and graduated from the University at Buffalo
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. Continuing his education at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Ramsay graduated with a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Mammalogy
Mammalogy
In zoology, mammalogy is the study of mammals – a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems...
.
While living in Staten Island, Maynard Ramsay was awarded a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
from Cornell in 1941, and gained employment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Dr. Ramsay was one of the first few Ph.D. holders in service to the Department, and thus, colleagues bestowed him with the nickname "Doc". Encouraged by Dr. Shadle, Maynard Jack Ramsay then married Alberta June Wentworth, a beautician
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
and owner of Alberta's Beauty Shop, from Canisteo
Canisteo, New York
Canisteo may refer to two municipalities in Steuben County, New York in the United States:*Canisteo , New York*Canisteo , New York, located entirely within the town...
.
From 1950 to 1956, "Doc" Ramsay served as a port entomologist, and then in 1967 was appointed to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. He retired in 1977. Dr. Ramsay was also a former president of the Insecticide Society of Washington.
Alberta Ramsay died in 2003. Two years later, Maynard Ramsay died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on March 20, 2005, in a Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
. The couple resided in Bowie
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Obituaries
- Washington Post obituary
- The text in this obituary is the same as the text in the pamphlets handed out by the family at the funeral.
- Evening Tribune obituary
- This obituary delves into more detail.
- New York Times obituary