Charles Congden Carpenter, Naturalist and herpetologis, Died at 93

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Charles Congden Carpenter was born on June 2, 1921, in Denison, Iowa, and died on January 10, 2016.

He was an eminent naturalist and herpetologist.

Charles has won numerous awards for excellence as an educator, researcher, and communicator.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943 from Northern Michigan College of Education, now Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, Michigan.

Charles accepted U.S. Army Specialized Training Program at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, 1943-1944; at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California in 1944; and at Wayne University College of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan in 1945.

Carpenter gained his Master of Science degree in zoology in 1947 and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in zoology in 1951 at the University of Michigan.

Later when he received his Ph.D., Dr. Carpenter remained at Michigan in 1951-52 as an instructor in zoology.

He also joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma as assistant professor of zoology, in 1953.

In the year 1959, he was promoted to associate professor and he became a full professor in 1966.

Charles order was Professor of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Biological Station, and Curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Stovall Museum of Science and History.

He retired and became Professor Emeritus and Curator Emeritus, in 1987

During his time at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Carpenter taught, performed research in his areas of expertise, and directed the graduate work of 26 Doctor of Philosophy, 21 Master of Science, and 3 Master of Natural Science students.

He has published 136 papers on subjects as diverse as; sexual intercourse in the fox snake, the common garter snake, time-motion studies of a lizard, turkey vulture migration in Veracruz, a combat ritual between two male speckled king snakes, and courtship, male combat, and dominance in the western diamondback rattlesnake.

Charles Congden Carpenter gave about 214 special lectures and seminars and made 32 appearances on radio and television.

His field work has included teaching for 35 summers at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station on Lake Texoma, and 16 field expeditions.

Carpenter was married to Mary Frances (née Pitynski) Carpenter, a member of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and an adjunct professor of biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center in Oklahoma City.

His wife was a member of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the American Institute of Nutrition.

As a biochemist researcher her interests included: lipids, antioxidants, prostaglandin metabolism during differentiation, fatty acid metabolism, and microsomal hydroxylation.

Charles Congden Carpenter passed away at 92 yrs old.