Celebrating African American Scientists in Zoos and Zoology!
Happy Black History Month from the Chattanooga Zoo! To celebrate, we’re honoring Black scientists who have changed the world of zoos and zoology forever through their work and discoveries. Mary J. Wilson and Charles Henry Turner are two Black scientists with incredible stories who have made significant contributions in the field of zoology throughout their lives.
Mary J. Wilson was born January 2th, 1937, in West Baltimore, where she would reside for her entire life. Her mother became sick and passed away when she was only five years old. Despite the pain of that loss, Wilson would grow into a woman who was nurturing as she was fearless. Wilson's daughter, Sharon Wilson Jackson, said that her mother “was a no-nonsense lady,” (The New York Times Magazine).
Mary J. Wilson graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and chose to pursue a profession that fit her love for animals. She began her first job at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore when she was 21 years old, she quickly became the first African American senior zookeeper, working with mammals from the beginning of her career. Wilson initially had no zoo experience or specialized animal training but was known to have “a willingness to work hard and love animals,” (The New York Times Magazine).
At the time, most female zookeepers specialized in “nursery” animals like birds or small mammals, but not Wilson. She was drawn to larger animals and worked with elephants, gorillas and tigers, and often went above and beyond to ensure the animals received the highest standard of care.
In the 1960s, when an infant gorilla named Sylvia moved into the Baltimore Zoo (now the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore) without her mother, Wilson took the gorilla under her wing, personally providing attention, love, and care to Sylvia. Wilson told the Baltimore Sun in 1996 that she had to care for the infant like you would a human baby. “Sylvia was like a baby to me. She was this cute little, reddish-colored gorilla.The first thing when I came in the morning, I used to give her a bath. Then I’d feed her breakfast. I’d cook three-minute eggs for her. She just became like my little daughter,” Wilson explains (The New York Times Magazine).
As Sylvia grew up, she outgrew her exhibit at the Baltimore Zoo. Sylvia was moved to the Cleveland City Zoo where she met an infant gorilla who had lost her mother, just like Sylvia. The zookeepers quickly noticed a special bond forming between Sylvia and the infant. Sylvia acted like a mother to the baby gorilla, despite never having children of her own. Instead she learned these skills for Mary J. Wilson and passed the love Wilson had shown to her along to another animal in need. “They said it was because of how I raised her that she was good with that youngster,” Wilson said (The New York Times Magazine).
Wilson worked at the Baltimore Zoo for 38 years where her legacy would pass down to her daughter. There was no pressure for Sharon Wilson Jackson, her daughter, to pursue a career in animal care. Instead, she said that Wilson just wanted her to do her best in whatever path she chose. However, Jackson developed a deep passion for animals like her mother did, possibly due to the fact Wilson often cared for animals at home throughout her career, exposing Jackson to a wide variety of species. Jackson pursued a career in Zoology and became the first Black woman employed by the Omaha City Zoo.
Wilson retired from the Baltimore Zoo in 1999 and passed away in 2020 at 83 years old. She suffered from dementia, and when she lay sick in her hospital bed, Jackson tried to find ways to talk to her mom despite her declining mental state. Wilson never responded until Jackson asked about an elephant named Joe who bobbed his head to communicate. Wilson responded to the memory of her animal friend, allowing her to talk to her daughter in her final days.
Charles Henry Turner is another groundbreaking Black scientist who did a different sort of work in the animal world.Turner was born in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was encouraged by his parents to make learning and education his biggest focus. He graduated as the valedictorian from Gaines High School in 1886 then earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D in zoology from The University of Cincinnati. He is the first African American to receive a Ph.D from the university.
Next, he began pursuing a career in teaching. He first taught at Clark College from 1893 to 1905, then at Sumner High School in St. Louis. Perhaps his most impactful work was completed at Sumner High, not at a college facility or laboratory. He did all of his research there and would retire with over 70 published research papers including behavioral studies of the honey bee, mound-building ants, and cockroach audiology. Turner did not limit himself to study only the world of insects but also studied the brains of annelid, avians, and crustaceans. During Turner's research he discovered new species of ants, crustaceans, bees, pigeons, wasps, spiders, cockroaches, and moths. Sumner High is where he discovered that insects could hear and alter their behavior based on previous experiences. This has paved the way for all future entomologists (insect scientists) to understand their insects. Generally, his discovery told us that insects could learn and recognize patterns.
Due to Turner’s studies we now know that honey bees have color-vision and vivid memories that allow them to tell other hive mates exactly what distance, location and quality of a flower field they just returned from. He was also able to discover that spiders could assess a damaged piece of their web and find a concept to best fix their web.
Turner retired after 33 years of teaching and passed away on February 14, 1923. His legacy lives on through literature and other forms of appreciation. A children's book called “Bug Watching with Charles Henry Turner” by M.E. Ross is one of the most popular. Turner's biography is available as “The Biography of Charles Henry Turner, Pioneer of Comparative Animal Behavior Studies.” In 1923, the first school for African American disabled children, the Charles Henry Turner Open Air School for Crippled Children, was founded, now called Turner Middle School. His first teaching job, Clark College, also named Turner-Tanner Hall in his honor.
Mary J. Wilson and Charles Henry Turner are two scientists we should honor and appreciate for years to come. Wilson and Turner have both helped today's zoologists learn more and connect with animals on a deeper level. Wilson deepened our understanding of intelligence and relational capabilities, and she helped us see how following a passion for animals can have a lasting impact. Turner’s study of insects changed how scientists understand the minds of various species and, due to his studies, people can better appreciate the intricate and complex lives of insects. We celebrate Wilson and Turner as the amazing scientists they were, and their contributions to zoos and zoology.
