John E. Eckert  (1895-1975)

John Edward Eckert, Entomology: Davis 1895-1975 Professor Emeritus One of the first champions of honeybees in California, and certainly the most articulate, was John Edward Eckert. Dr. Eckert recognized soon after his arrival at the University of California in 1931 as assistant professor of entomology and assistant apiculturist that honeybees are an indispensable element of California agriculture. It was this realization that shaped the direction of his research toward alleviating the serious loss of honeybees from pesticides and led him to become closely associated with the beekeeping industry throughout the state. John Eckert took the Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture at Ohio State University in 1916. A year later he received the Master of Science degree in entomology, and then became an apiary inspector in Ohio for the summer. In the fall he started his career as entomologist, first in North Carolina as nursery inspector, and then at North Carolina State College as assistant professor of entomology, 1919 to 1922, and as associate professor of entomology, 1922 to 1924. During his tenure at North Carolina State College he was active in North Carolina beekeeping, serving as secretary-treasurer of the North Carolina State Beekeepers' Association and editing the second manual of the association. At the same time he worked toward the doctorate at North Carolina State College which he completed at Ohio State University, after a year in residence there, in 1931. Professor Eckert's intense interest in bees influenced him to accept a position as associate apiculturist with the United States Department of Agriculture in 1924. He was stationed first in Washington, D.C. and shortly thereafter in Laramie, Wyoming, where he undertook the research that was the basis for his classical paper, “The Flight Range of the Honeybee.” This was the first fully documented publication on the subject and remains today an outstanding model of apicultural research. California's varied agriculture and growing beekeeping industry were impressive, and when the opportunity came for him to become a member of the faculty of the University of California on the University Farm at Davis, he accepted enthusiastically. His extensive knowledge ― 93 ― of bees and his engaging manner soon won him an enviable reputation in the industry as the outstanding apiculturist in the West. Known affectionately as Eck, he assisted the beekeepers through times of despair over pesticide losses, brought them new methods, and encouraged them in their efforts to meet changing situations. Their progressive outlook today is due largely to Eck's influence. Professor Eckert retained his concern for pesticide-caused bee losses throughout his career. In 1945 he became excited about the potential for controlling bee diseases by treating infected colonies with antibiotics. He pioneered chemotherapy in California, despite strenuous opposition from some beekeepers and regulatory personnel. His experiments ultimately led to the control of bee pathogens with antibiotics, a practice accepted as fundamental to successful contemporary beekeeping. The destruction by Australian regulatory officers of breeding stock sent to Australia from the University of California, Davis, for alleged infestation by the internal parasitic mite Acarapis woodi aroused Professor Eckert's interest in honeybee mites and their distribution. He was awarded a Fulbright grant and in 1957 took a sabbatical leave to study mites in Australia and Europe. He found that external mites are common on bees from every country sampled and that the Australians had misidentified the mites on the bees from Davis. This work allayed the fear that Acarapis woodi had invaded North America. Professor Eckert had joint authorship of two textbooks on bees and published numerous research papers and bulletins. Two of these bulletins, Physical and Chemical Properties of California Honeys (with H. W. Allinger) and Nectar and Pollen Plants of California (with G. H. Vansell), are still authoritative, although they have long been out of print. Professor Eckert served as chairman of the Davis entomologists from 1934 to 1946. He guided the growth of this fledgling department early in this period and assisted in recruiting the outstanding entomologists who contributed so much to the department's current recognition and stature. During this period he undertook a study of ants and published a circular, Ants and Their Control. This was the most complete publication on California ants. His main civic activity was concerned with the Davis public schools. He was elected to the Davis Joint Union High School Board in 1948 and served two terms. The love of sports, developed early in life, remained with him until his death. He was an avid tennis player and coached tennis at Davis for several years. After retiring in 1962 he turned to golf with the same energy and enthusiasm, becoming one of the few Davis golfers to make a hole-in-one three times. ― 94 ― Professor Eckert was a member of the Entomological Society of America, Bee Research Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, California Bee Breeders Association, Sigma Xi, and Alpha Gamma Rho social fraternity. In appreciation of his many and continuing contributions to beekeeping, he was made a life member of the California State Beekeepers Association. In 1929 he married Virginia Whittier, a biologist in her own right, who died in 1974. Professor Eckert is survived by three daughters, Margaret Wills, Sarah Green, and Jean Bryant, and seven grandchildren. Harry H. Laidlaw Oscar G. Bacon Norman E. Gary Francis M. Summers http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=hb1199n68c&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00036&toc.depth=1&toc.id=&brand=calisphere

Affiliation	U.C. Davis (?-?) , Ohio State University (BA 1916, PhD 1931)
Label Abbreviation	J.E. Eckert
Other Names	J.E. Eckert

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