William
Prindle AlexanderWilliam
Prindle AlexanderWilliam Prindle Alexander (1881-1956) received the Pugsley Bronze Medal for “distinguished work as a pioneer of outdoor education in state parks.” He was born at Johnstown, New York, in February 1881. Johnstown lies in the foothills of the Adirondacks near the beautiful Sacandaga Park. Those who are familiar with the area know that it is a fertile environment for a naturalist. He inherited his love of the natural sciences from his father, Emil Alexander. With his brother Charles, who was a noted ornithologist, he spent most of his leisure time in his formative years in the area’s woods and fields gaining the intimate knowledge of wildlife that made his subsequent of natural science so effective.
The Indian lore of the Johnstown region strongly appealed to him, and he made a thorough study of the plants they used for food and medicines. He later turned this knowledge to good account when he collected medicinal plants for pharmacies to earn part of his college expenses. The other main interests in his youth were poetry and music. From his mother, he inherited his deep love of poetry. His father was an ardent lover of music, and the son devoted considerable effort to mastering the violin and cello. In 1900, he went abroad and for five years made his home in the famous old city of Leipzig. Here his first act was to visit the birthplace of Richard Wagner. He studied under Professor Julius Klingel of the Leipzig Conservatory and with Max Wünche of the well-known Gewandhaus Orchestra. During his vacations he traveled to all parts of Germany collecting specimens and enhancing his knowledge of botany. In 1903, he married Miss Elsa Müller, the daughter of an artist of his adopted city. Mrs. Alexander shared his enthusiasm for his work.
After his return to America, Alexander pursued music professionally, but in 1910 returned to his scientific studies while teaching in Florida. He became greatly interested in reptiles and flowering plants. With an elderly Negro guide, he made many excursions into the swamps collecting scientific materials. He also became interested in archaeology in Florida and helped unearth some prehistoric shell mounds along the St. John’s River.
In 1915 he joined the faculty of Cornell University, where he taught apiculture and assisted Professor Anna Botsford Comstock, who was known as the mother of the nature study movement. Like all who came under her influence, he greatly benefited by the years spent at Cornell.
In 1920 Alexander went to the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences to take charge of the Society’s extension work. By this time he had earned the reputation of being one of the best field naturalists in this country. He organized many of the varied activities that made the Museum so popular with the citizens of Buffalo. Under the direction of William L. Bryant, he installed many of the exhibits in the Elmwood Avenue Museum, a small building but one so well arranged that Dr. George H. Sherwood of the American Museum of Natural History said he wished he might incorporate it into his own institution. The exhibits in their building were oriented to children and brought the Museum widespread praise. He assisted with many branches of the Museum’s activities, and many of the younger members of the Staff were indebted to him for their training in museum work. He conducted evening classes, which were attended by teachers from grade schools, high schools, and colleges.
Alexander lectured for a number of years in the Buffalo schools as well as to school children who were daily brought to the Museum. Few students in the city did not at some time benefit from his instruction. He helped the Boy and Girl Scouts, community clubs, and many other organizations with their nature work. He assisted in organizing the Alleghany Field and Trail Club, and became the naturalist and leader of the Roosevelt Field Club. Both flourished, while the latter, which was the junior club, sent many students to universities with a strong foundation for their college work in science.
Perhaps the most widely known and appreciated of his endeavors were the summer field trips he organized at Alleghany State Park. He constructed the nature trail at Alleghany State Park, which was the first of its kind in the country. From 1927 to 1940 he lectured there in the summers at the Alleghany School of Natural History. The park was at that time a real wilderness. There was running water only in Quaker Run, and at night the only light was the light of the campfire. Each morning, Alexander led a trip up one of the mountains. Trails were constructed up Mt. Seneca, and the trail to the Bear Caves was famous as the pioneer attempt to create a popular out-of-doors museum. To many campers, this was their first taste of fieldwork in science. The leader’s wide knowledge made these trips notable.
He was co-author of seven books and wrote numerous articles for magazines and newspapers on various phases of natural history. Upon retirement he was named curator emeritus of education and he was a Hayes professor of natural sciences at Cornell University. The Nature Sanctuary Society of Western New York named its tract of land in Zoar Valley the William Prindle Alexander Preserve in his honor.