1. Mary Eugenia Wharton was an American botanist, author, and environmental activist.
13 Facts About Mary Wharton
1. 2.
Mary Wharton graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1935 with a bachelor's degree in botany and geology.
3.
Mary Wharton then received both a master's degree in 1936 and a doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1946.
4.
Mary Wharton collected plant species for the University of Kentucky Herbarium.
5.
Mary Wharton served as the Kentucky Academy of Science representative on the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
6.
Besides being an avid plant collector, Mary Wharton was a writer.
7.
Mary Wharton collaborated with Roger Barbour on two field guides, Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky and Shrubs of Kentucky, and a natural history of the Inner Blueglass Region, Bluegrass Land and Life.
8.
Mary Wharton protected part of the sanctuary using a scenic easement.
9.
Mary Wharton cofounded the Land and Nature Trust of Bluegrass to help preserve many parts of the bluegrass region such as Raven Run, greenway parks, and the Paris-Lexington corridor.
10.
Mary Wharton held the positions of chairman or President of the Board for this organization several times.
11.
Mary Wharton was a member of The Kentucky Nature Conservatory Board and the Kentucky River Steering Committee.
12.
Mary Wharton was involved in environmental activism throughout her later years in particular issues such as the proposed damming of the Red River Gorge and the expansion of the Paris Pike.
13.
Mary Wharton was a member of the Colonial Dames, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.