Bryan Pettigrew Glass (August 21, 1919 – August 27, 2010) was an American

mammalogist In zoology, mammalogy is the study of mammals – a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems. The archive of number of mammals on earth is constantly growin ...

Early life and education

The son of Baptist missionaries Wiley B. Glass and Jessie Pettigrew Glass, Bryan Glass was raised in China. He had three sisters and a brother. Lois and Eloise became missionaries; Eloise was also author. Trudy joined the staff of the United Nations.

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of Luxury vehicle, luxury cars and Sport utility vehicle, SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Crickle ...

became a noted geneticist and educator. Glass was a graduate of the China Inland Mission School in Chefoo. He continued his education in the United States, earning his Bachelor's from

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

in 1940, his Master's from

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

in 1946, and his Ph.D. from

Oklahoma A&M Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known as ...

in 1952.

Career

During World War II, Glass served as a captain in the Army Air Corps and as an intelligence officer in the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

(OSS). Glass joined the

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

(OSU) faculty as a zoology professor in 1946 and taught at the university until his retirement in 1985. Glass received OSU's Outstanding Service and Outstanding Teacher Award (1965 and 1966, respectively). In 1966, Glass became Director of the University Museum. He was committed to developing the museum's collection. During the 1960s, Glass and Robert Ingersoll collected 1,200 mammalian specimens from Ethiopia's Harar region. Their contribution represents over 10% of OSU's collection of mammals. Though he did some work in Ethiopia and Brazil, Glass's scientific interests were largely focused upon species in Oklahoma, particularly Microchiroptera. His research program—involving Oklahoma,

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

, and

Mexican free-tailed bats The Mexican free-tailed bat or Brazilian free-tailed bat (''Tadarida brasiliensis'') is a medium-sized bat native to North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, so named because its tail can be almost half its total length and is not a ...

—was the subject of an Army training video. Glass served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the

American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence ...

(ASM) from 1957 to 1977, a period during which membership more than doubled.

Personal life

In 1946, Glass married Carolyn Smith, who at various points worked for the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...

, OSU, and ASM. They had two daughters, Janis Elizabeth and Peggy Lee. Glass was active in his church, served on the organizing board for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma, and was elected Second Vice President of the Oklahoma Baptist Convention.Obituary for Bryan Glass.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glass, Bryan P. 1919 births 2010 deaths American mammalogists Oklahoma State University faculty Baylor University alumni Texas A&M University alumni Oklahoma State University alumni American Society of Mammalogists