Donald P. Abbott
Area: invertebrates
Years:1950-1983
Donald Putnam Abbott was born in 1920, and raised in Chicago. After graduating from University High School, Don attended the University of Hawaii, earning a degree in Zoology in 1941. While there he met Isabella "Izzie" Aiona, a botany student, whom he married in 1943. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army, serving in the U.S. Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) through the World War II. When the war was over, Don attended the University of California, Berkeley. Donald earned an M.S. degree in zoology in 1948. During the summers of 1948 and 1949 Abbott worked as a teaching assistant for the University of California for its summer courses taught at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University. In 1950, having earned a PhD in Zoology under the supervision of S.F. Light and Ralph Smith at Berkeley, Abbott joined the faculty at the Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA. Abbott, who’s primary focus was ascidian tunicates, quickly became an authority on all forms of invertebrate animals.
Abbott was an active researcher, but his greatest legacy was as a teacher. His courses were among the most popular offered at Hopkins Marine Station. He influenced hundreds of students in his invertebrate zoology course (111H-112H) and the Hopkins "Spring Course." Abbott was also an effective graduate student mentor, supervising 25 students who earned Ph.D. degrees and 10 more who earned master's degrees.
Don Abbott's courses at the Hopkins Marine Station were very popular with students. For ten years Abbott also offered a field course on the invertebrates on Stanford’s main campus. He received the Dean's Award for teaching in 1978 and that at the 1982 Commencement, he received the Dinkelspiel Award for Outstanding Service to Undergraduate Education. A considerable part of Don's research was done at sea, or on tropical islands. Abbott's teaching extended to the Stanford Oceanographic Expeditions, established in 1963 by the gift of Harold Miller's yacht, Te Vega, which was refitted as a marine biology facility and operated by Hopkins Marine Station from 1963 to 1970. Don was on many of these cruises: to the Indian Ocean (Mombasa to Singapore in 1964), to Hawaii in 1967, the Eastern Pacific in 1968, and on Proteus to British Columbia in 1970.
Publications:
INTRASPECIFIC AGONISTIC BEHAVIOR IN ROCK-BORING SEA-URCHIN ECHINOMETRA-LUCUNTER (L) (ECHINODERMATA ECHINOIDEA), GRUNBAUM, H; BERGMAN, G; ABBOTT, DP; et al. BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Pages: 181-188 Published: 1978
Abbott, Donald P. et. al. 1968 Undergraduate Research and the Biology of Acmea. The Veliger, v.11; Supp.,1-4.
Abbott, Donald P. and albee, Richard 1967 Summary of Thermal Conditions and the Phytoplankton Volumes Measure in Monterey Bay, California: 1961-1966. Calif. Coop. Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, pp.155-156
Abbott, Donald P. 1966 Factors Influencing the Zoogeographic Affinities of the Galapagos Inshore Marine Fauna. The Galapagos, Univ. Calif. Press, Berkely, 1966
Abbott, Donald P. 1961 The Ascidians of Point Barrow, Alaska, Part I Suborder Phlebobranchia (Enterogona). Pacific Science, v.XV, No.1, Jan. 1961
Abbott, Donald P. 1957 Questions answered about the seashore. Scientific Monthly, v85 No.4, Oct.:
Abbott, Donald P. 1957 Ascidians. Geol.So.Ameria, Memoir 67:1197-1199
ISOLATION AND ASSAY OF THE NEMATOCYST TOXIN OF METRIDIUM SENILE FIMBRIATUM, PHILLIPS, JH; ABBOTT, DP. BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN Volume: 113 Issue: 2 Pages: 296-301 Published: 1957
Abbott, Donald P. 1956 Water circulation in the mantle cavity of the owl limpet Lottia gigantea Gray, Nautilus. v.69, #3:79-87, Jan.
Abbott, Donald P. 1955 Larval structure and activity in the ascidian Metadrocarpa taylori. J.Morph., v.97, #3, Nov:569-594
Abbott, Donald P. 1953 Asexual reproduction in the colonial ascidian Metadrocarpa taylori Huntsman UC, Pub.Zool.,v.61,#1:1-78
Abbott, Donald P. 1951 Bostrichobranchus digonas, a new molgulid ascidian from Florida. J.Wash.Acad.Sci.,v.41,#9,Sept. 15:302-307
Abbott, Donald P. 1950 Summary of the Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirementas for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Abbott, Donald P. 1946 Some polychaetous annelids from a Hawaiian fish pond. U. Hawaii, Res.Pub. #23:5-24
Memorial Resolution:
Donald Putnam Abbott 1920 - 1986