Paradigm Shift in Grassland Sciences: The Life of Agrostologist Agnes Chase
Kelsey Lainhart1, Hannah Carper1, and Ed Fredrickson2
Timeline
1869- April 20, Birth of Many Agnes Meara (Mera)
1888- January 21, Marriage to William Chase
1889, January 3rd, Death of William Chase
1893, attended the Columbian Exposition
1897- starts working in Botany
1903- begins work with Alfred Hitchcock
1912 –refused support for expedition to Panama Canal
Zone because of her gender
1912 begins work at the Smithsonian's National Herbarium
1913 joins Alice Paul's Women's Party's march on Washington
1913 leads botanical expedition to Puerto Rico at her
own expense
1918 One of the Silent Sentinels arrested for picketing the
White House for women's suffrage. Force fed during prison
hunger strike.
1919 19th Amendment passes giving women the right to vote
1924 Leads 8-month botanical expedition of Brazil
1936- succeeds Alfred Hitchcock as Principal Scientist of Systematic
Agrostology
1939- officially retires
1940- last collection trip
1963- September 24th, Death from Congestive Heart Failure
Department of Agriculture, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY 40475
Intro
At the time of her death on September 24th, 1963, Agnes Chase was
considered the most renowned specialist in Agrostology, not only in
the United States, but also in South America and parts of Europe.
Throughout her career, Agnes faced many hurdles due to her
gender. Throughout her personal and professional life, Agnes
worked to change the paradigm in which women in agrostology
were trapped. We examined many writings by Agnes, her mentors,
and scientific writers to examine the current paradigm, how Agnes
worked to change it, and the impact she had on agrostology during
and after her lifetime.
The Paradigm
Though the collection and preservation of plants was considered
a suitable occupation for women, the actual scientific taxonomy
of plants was an occupation reserved mainly for men. The
USDA allowed women to work in assistant jobs, but payed
them low wages, forcing many of them to hold jobs outside the
scientific field. Women were rarely granted funds for scientific
collecting expeditions, and Chase financed most of her
expedition through her own funds or by simultaneously
collecting for Botanical gardens. Throughout her career, Albert
Hitchcock was her greatest supporter. At one point, Hitchcock
claimed that his work could not go on without Agnes.
Hitchcock was not adverse to the face that Agnes was a woman.
Time after time, Hitchcock promoted her, and after his
retirement, Agnes would surpass and replace him. In 1911, after
a successful trip to Brazil for collecting, Hitchcock requested
funding for Chase to receive support for her expeditions to Latin
America. But his requests were denied, citing reasons of
gender. Chase funded her own trips, many times collecting for
Botanical Gardens to pay her expenses.
1- Senior in Natural Resources; 2- Association Professor
Remarkable Achievements
1922- First Book of Grasses
1950- revised the Manual of the Grasses of the United States
1956- received certificate of merit from the Botanical Society of
America
1958- received honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the
Univeristy of Illinois
1958- received medal for service to the botany of Brazil
1958- elected 8th Honorary Member of the Smithsonian Institution
1961- unanimously elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London
1962- wrote Index of Grass Species
Agnes's Mentor, Albert Hitchcock.
Citations
• Bonta, Marcia Myers (1995) American Women
Afield: Writings By Pioneering Women Naturalists
(pp. 126-135)
• Agnes chase (Agrostologist). Early Women in
Science- Biodiversity Library Exhibition. Retrieved
from:
http://www.earlywomeninscience.biodiversityexhib
ition.com/en/card/agnes-chase
"The man does best that which he likes." (Alfred Hitchcock, Success in
Science, 1925) Later in her life, Agnes talked about her fascination with
grasses as a young woman. She described grasses as "what holds the earth
together." Though she officially retired in 1939, Agnes continued to work in
Agrostology, completing her last collecting trip in 1940 and finishing the
Index of Grass Species in 1962. When she retired, Agnes was considered the
foremost grass specialist in the world, a great achievement for anyone, but
especially a woman. By continuing her work after her retirement, Agnes
showed that not only was botony and agrostology her career, it was also her
passion, and not only was it her job, it was her duty to further the knowledge
of grasses to scientist all over the world. After her retirement, Agnes
continued to work as honorary curator at the National Herbarium until her
death. Agnes also continued to open her home to foreign students studying
agrostology and wanting to learn from her experiences. Many students
continued communication through letters, often asking her to proofread their
work or exchange grass specimens. Agnes kept a special place in her heart for
young women pursuing agrostology, and even trained several prominent
women who would become important botanists in South America.
Agnes worked throughout her life to shift the paradigm away from a sexist
system that excluded women to a system where women and men worked as
equals, in congruence with one another to further scientific
knowledge. Agnes's network of agrostologists and her love of teaching and
passing on her knowledge made her a favorite of many young botanists, both
men and women, and until the end of her life, she did all within her power to
help them advance their careers.
Mary Agnes Chase died on September 24th, 1963. At that time, she was
renowned as one of the world's most knowledgeable agrostologists. Her work
helped shift that paradigm and paved the way for women in agrostology, and
agriculture in general.