Flyrods, Rare Plants
and “Doc” Howell
It look a lot of iiioiinlaiii living' lo
huihl I ho uiii«|ii«‘ Hiological Stall ion ait
Highlands.
«»/
\KLL .JOSLIY STY RON
Dr. "Doc" Thelma Howell is retir¬
ing. Guide and guardian of the High¬
lands Biological Station for nearly 30
years, "Doe" is leaving the Laboratory
this fall.
An outdoors woman, and clear eyed,
of medium height with thick white hair,
with a cigarette between her strong
tapering fingers, she looks like the
vigorous person she is.
Being in charge of this biological
station has taken a strong person be¬
cause biological research goes on far
into the night and emergencies occur
when you are housing, feeding
and overlooking 30 or more investiga¬
tors. male and female and any number
of laboratory animals, reptiles, and in¬
sects.
This June at the annual meeting of
the board of the Highlands Biological
Station she was singled out for a par¬
ticular citation. This pointed out that
for all these years Dr. Howell "has
been the central driving force and
principal guiding hand ol the station."
It was mentioned that during her Di¬
rectorship the Station has added
laboratory buildings and dormitories,
that the cooperating and contributing
institutions have grown to 14 major
universities of the Southeast, making
this Station unique among experimental
laboratories in the country. Also more
than 500 publications of scientific re¬
search have been produced as a result
of work at the Station; and it has
become a major contributor to the
advancement of scientific knowledge in
the United States.
Fly Fisher
But this is not the only time that
“Doe” has been singled out for honor.
North Carolina State University con¬
ferred a doctorate on her in May 1961
with the following citation:
"As an avid wicldcr of the flyrod in
the cool trout streams of our highlands,
as an important laboratory scientist for
which another species of fly has had
the honor to be named, as an inspiring
teacher, and as an efficient administra¬
tor. Thelma Howell has earned the ad¬
miration not only of the native folk of
the Southern Appalachians but also of
scientists, business men and educators
everywhere. She was early nick-named
'Doe' Howell by her family, her
friends, and her students. State College
is now pleased to give her official con¬
firmation to the title by awarding her
the degree of Doctor of Science."
But "Doc" is not originally a moun¬
taineer. She came in 1930 to Cullowhcc
as Professor of Biology at WCTC. now
Western Carolina University. She had
previously gone to Trinity College for
her
Л В
in biology, returning later when
it was Duke, for her MA in physiology
and ecology. Here at Cullowhcc she
learned to enjoy the sport of casting
for mountain trout. She taught at Cul¬
lowhcc four years and then went to
Wesleyan College. Macon. Georgia
where as Professor of Biology she
headed up the Science Department.
Mine. Chang Kai Shek had been a stu¬
dent here earlier. While at Wesleyan, in
1937 she came to Highlands in the
summer to work on a project. She
helped Dr. W. C. Coker, the famous
botanist, summers with the work at the
Laboratory until his retirement and
she was made executive director in
1946.
Station Comes First
In 1959 the work at the Highlands
Biological Station had become so
exacting that there was need for a year
round director. "Doc" left Wesleyan
and moved to Highlands permanently
in this capacity.
Now that she is leaving the Station
she is not leaving her adopted moun¬
tains. only moving a few blocks from
the Station into a new ranch style
house. Her activities in Highlands will
continue. She will be serving her eighth
term on the Highlands City Council
this year. She belongs to the Episcopal
Church and precedent was broken a
few years ago when she. a woman, was
elected to the vestry. Although born in
New Bern where she learned to salt
water fish, "Doe" now is as much a
mountaineer as any native of High¬
lands. She has gone down into the
gorges, collected rare specimens of
flowers, reptiles, and animals, mined
mountain sapphires, rubies, and ame¬
thysts. waded up to her arm pits
in trout streams and faced twenty
inches of snow at her front door with
equanimity.
I lie Station has always come first
with "Doe" and under her leadership
has grown from just a Museum and a
Laboratory to nine modern buildings.
I hese have been landscaped with help
from Mrs. W. C. Coker of Chapel Hill,
and rhododendron, laurel, mountain
wild flowers and the rare shortia arc
flourishing.
Situated on the Station's six-acre
Lake Ravcnel, the view by day is of
water lilies and mountains. The site is
secluded — though still in the
city limits of Highlands (population
1.000). At night it seems to be in the
deep woods with the only summer
sounds being the hoot owls, tree and
bull frogs.
Rare Plants and Snakes
“Doe" has never shirked any work
that she has expected anyone else to
do. Once she offered to kill a rattle¬
snake with his shovel when a highway
worker was loath to do so. She has
roughed it. camping in the gorges, suf¬
fering through swarms of gnats and
disregarding Highland's phenomenally
frequent rains. One year the official
gauge that she reads daily, clocked
( Continual on page 2 1 )
THE STATE, SEPTEMBER 1. 1971
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