ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By
Diana Horton
The Iowa's Fragile Flora web site contains much of the material that was on
the University of Iowa Herbarium web site from March 2002 through February
2006. Modifications of the Herbarium web site were done by Diana Horton
in 2005-2006. The University of Iowa Herbarium web site was designed and developed
by Diana Horton, former Director and Curator, and Paula Bergstrom,
former Assistant Curator, between 2000 and 2002. It was deftly constructed,
with untold patience and good humour, by Paula, and the term 'Fragile Flora'
was coined by her.
In addition to Paula, I am indebted to numerous individuals who generously
contributed their expertise and time to 
the
Herbarium web site. Susan M. Moe, former Computing Consultant with
Academic Technologies, ITS, provided invaluable assistance initially with
the nuances of Dreamweaver and Fireworks. With noteworthy expertise and considerable
patience, Jeremie C. Moen, Information Technology Specialist with the
University of Iowa Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research
(CGRER), handled all the logistics of getting the Herbarium web site up
and running on CGRER's server, as well as incorporating many updates. Jeremie
similarly has implemented all of the modifications associated with the new,
Iowa's Fragile Flora web site. Steven N. Bowers, Senior Systems Analyst
with Academic Technologies, Information Technology Services (ITS), meticulously
sorted out all the intricacies involved in programming the Fragile Flora Database.
Jennifer Bell, former Assistant Curator, and Jennifer Ritchie,
former Secretary, Biological Sciences, spent innumerable hours entering, and
checking names and synonyms, in the five state lists of endangered and threatened
species. Subsequently, local botanist, Tom Cady, and former University
of Iowa Honour's undergraduate student, 
Amy Blair, and current Honour's undergraduate student, Tom Madsen,
assisted with checking the revised and expanded data set for the Fragile Flora
Database. Jim Giglierano, former Acting State Geologist, Iowa Geological
Survey Bureau (IGSB), drew my attention to pertinent data on the IGSB, and
Natural Resources and Conservation Service web sites. Numerous TAXACOM
subscribers provided invaluable advice regarding web site programs and
converting photographic slides into web site images. James B. Webb,
former Manager, Liaison and Standards, Architecture and Technology Infrastructure,
Government of Alberta, offered useful suggestions on some aspects of web site
format.
With respect to the historical development of plant collections-based research
at the University of Iowa, it was Jenny Bell who, with characteristic
initiative, solved the mystery of the list of 1869 specimens collected by
'C.A. White' and traced the establishment of the Herbarium. She also discovered
the Herbarium-based 1886 graduate thesis by Mary Linder. Jeffry Schabilion,
Professor, Biological Sciences, kindly provided historical information on
the paleobotanical 
collections
of Fred Thompson and Donald Eggert, and Jim Sisk provided excerpts
on the cycadeoids from Raventon's (1994) Black Hills natural history. David
McCartney, University Archivist, and Denise Anderson, Archives
Assistant, were especially helpful in providing information and making available
historical materials from Special Collections, University of Iowa Libraries.
Patricia K. Holmgren, Editor, Index Herbariorum, New York Botanical
Garden, kindly provided current data on size and number of U.S. herbaria.
Mark Müller, local artist and author, gave us carte blanche to use any
of his wonderful illustrations of prairie plants. Rex Bavousett, formerly
at University Relations - Publications, lent his professional expertise with
photographs of the portraits of Macbride and Shimek, and of herbarium specimens.
Shelley Plattner, Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences,
patiently scanned and 'cleaned up' images from old photographs. Neil Bernstein,
former Editor, and David McCalley, former Managing Editor, of the Journal
of the Iowa Academy of 
Science, and Robert W. Kiger, Director, and Angela L. Todd,
Archivist, of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation kindly facilitated
permission for reproduction of images. Bernardine Shimek, wife of the
late Frank Shimek (Bohumil Shimek's son), graciously allowed me to include
the portrait of Bohumil Shimek as a young man. Jeremie C. Moen, CGRER,
constructed the ArcView map with Sørensen similarity indices for the Iowa
flora in relation to that of other states and Canadian provinces (see Iowa's
Fragile Flora).
Tom Cady and Tom Madsen kindly allowed me to include their plant
check-lists for preserves and natural areas, and my check-lists would not
have been completed without the able assistance of Jenny Ritchie, who cheerfully
and patiently looked up common names and authorities for Latin species names,
and typed the lists (see Plant Check-lists).
Funding from the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research
(CGRER) made the University of Iowa Herbarium web site possible and is
very gratefully acknowledged. Development of that web site also was supported
with personal funding from Diana Horton. The State Historical Society,
Inc. in Iowa City provided a grant for the project to restore historically
significant specimens (see Herbaria and Specimens), and this too is acknowledged
with gratitude.
This web site is dedicated to the memory of my parents, Betty and Harry
Horton. They instilled a love and appreciation of natural environments,
the excitement of learning about organisms, and an awareness of the need to
preserve remnants of 
natural vegetation. It was they who first taught me about herbaria and specimens
when they established a small, private herbarium in the 1950s. They were the
first to document the occurrence of Pine-sap (Monotropa hypopithys
L.) in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Last Updated: 03/21/2006