R, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 



FAMOUS MAN IS DEAD. 



> 



M. S. Bebb Passes Away at San I 

 Bernardino, Cal. 



BRILLIANT LIGHT IN SCIENCE 



News of His Demise Roceived Yesterday 

 -One of the Recognized Authorities 

 of the World in the Study of 

 Botany. 



A telegram was received yesterday 

 afternoon which conveyed the news 

 of the death of M. S. Bebb, in Cal- 

 ifornia. The message was received by 

 H. H. Waldo, and gave no particulars. 

 Mr. and Mrs. Bebb went to California 

 iu October, where on the sunny Pa- 

 cifio slope Mr. Bebb hoped to improve, 

 his health. He was suffering with 

 tubeicalar trouble, and had been in 

 failing health for several years. It 

 was upon the advice of his physician 

 that he went to California, and with 

 his wife he had been stopping at San 

 Bernardino, where they have friends 

 While Mr. Babb did not have a wide 

 acquaintance in this city, although he 

 had lived here many years, he 

 was very highly esteemed. That he was 

 not better known to the ci ty at If -g& 



was due to hia very retiring nature. 

 He had friends in number, but he con- 

 fined his confidence to a comparative 

 few, and by them he was greatly ad- 

 | mired. Because of Mr. Bebb's shrink- 

 ing modesty it might well be said that 

 I few people knew of the wonderful tal- 

 1 ents ha possessed. No more learned 

 man ever made his home in Rockford, 

 in fact he was an intellectual giant. 

 Mr. Bebb was a native of Ohio 

 and a member of a prominent family. 

 His father was Governor Bebb, who 

 had a conspicuous part in the early de- 

 velopment of Ohio, and who was the 

 chief executive of the state for a num- 

 ber of years. Mr. Bebb received 

 a college education and chose a 

 vocation for which he was em- 

 inently fitted, the field of scien- 

 tific research. He was known 

 here as a botanist, but the great ma- 

 jority of Rockford people and even a 

 number of his friends were not famil- 

 iar with his reputation in this line. It 

 certainly could never be learned from 

 the man himself. He was one of the 

 recognized authorities of the world in 

 the study of botany. His correspond- 

 ence reached around the globe, and 

 in his work he was associated with the 

 scientists of the age. His corres 

 pondence was something immense, 

 and the letters he received from every 

 land from the leading scholars came 

 to him as one whose authority was of 

 the highest. He contributed largely 

 to scientific journals, his writings in 

 this direction being quite voluminous. 

 While he possessed Buch fame in gen- 

 eral botany, in his own specialty 

 ' he was pre eminent. This specialty 

 was willows. In this he had not a 

 peer in the whole worid. He was fre- 

 quently consulted by the leading col- 

 leges of the land on this topic, and any 

 new discovery, including the govern- 

 ment research, waB generally sub- 

 mitted to Mr. Bebb. In this way he 

 occupied such a pi> I oion that the city 

 might well be proud of him. Dr. 

 Prank Kimball was probably his near- 

 est friend in this city. Said he last 

 evening: "Of the older sohool of 

 scientists, which included Prof. Gray 

 and other famous Intellects, he was an 

 associate, and he was the peer of 

 1 any of them." 



In other fialds Mr. Babb was a man 

 of wonderful attainments. He pos- 

 sessed such rare mental acumen, such 

 qualities of penetration into the knot- 

 tiest problems in so many sciences 

 that he commanded the highest res- 

 ' pect of everyone who met him. Of 

 i late he was engaged in preparing a 

 work on bis speciality in botany, 

 which was to be added to a general 

 volume now in preparation, and 

 whioh is intended to be a work of the 

 era in that field. None of his friends 

 here is able to state how far he had 

 progressed in his lab. rs which he was 

 ao eager to finish. Mr. Bebb 

 was a man of the highest 

 character. He was so even tem- 

 pered, so wholesome, so worthy 

 of the homage to be paid a true man, 

 that his influence in that way, as in 

 the department of science, will be felt 

 for years to come. His home life was 

 beautiful. He was very fond of music, 

 and lived happily and contentedly, 

 enjoying the gentler things in life. j 

 That he was not better appreclatod 

 might perhaps have been his own 

 fault. He was so excessively modfsc i 

 that he disliked even the title of pro- 

 fessor^*' & /3 .'fte*n*/\, 



Mr. I3ebb was ' twice married Be- 

 sides tHp widow ^giKt^rhlli- ' ur- 

 I vlve. They are Edward, Robert, W'al- 

 I ter, Ar/ hnr, Will, Mattie, Prank and 

 <M"rsT^ Anna Mason, who resides 



in New York. Frank is 

 the only member of the fam- 

 ily in the city and is a student at 

 the high school. Additional word Is 

 expected today relating to the funeral 

 arrangements. It is probable ihatthe 

 remains will be brought here for in- 

 terment. The news of Mr. Bebb's 

 death is received with deep regret in 

 the little circle here in which he was 

 so much admired. His brother, Ed- 

 ward Bebb, died a little over a year 

 ago. ■ 



