December, 1958 



Mills: From 1858 to 1958 



95 



Stephen Alfred Forbes in the 1880's, while State Entomologist and Director of the State 

 Laboratory of Natural Historv at Normal. 



was in Confederate prisons for 4 months. 

 During this period of enforced idleness 

 he studied Greek from books he managed 

 to buy at Mobile. He participated in 22 

 military engagements, and, other than 

 suffering from scurvy and malaria while 

 in prison, he emerged from the war 

 unscathed. 



At the end of hostilities he entered 

 Rush Medical College in Chicago. Be- 

 cause of lack of funds and certain psy- 

 chological difficulties revolving around 

 surgery without anesthesia, he never fin- 

 ished the course. After leaving Rush, he 

 taught school and, on the side, studied 



natural history. His Hrst publications ap- 

 peared in 1870, and these led to his ap- 

 pointment in 1872 as Curator of the 

 Museum established by the State Natural 

 History Society at Normal. He held this 

 position until 1877, when he was appoint- 

 ed to head the State Laboratory of Na- 

 tural Histor\', the child of the Museum. 

 After the resignation of Thomas as 

 State Entomologist in 1882, Governor 

 Shelby M. Cullom appointed Forbes to 

 that position. In 1884 Indiana University 

 awarded Forbes the Ph.D. degree "by 

 thesis and examination."" He did not have 

 a bachelor's degree. In 1885 he moved to 



