Overview

In 1942, a 19-year-old University of Kentucky biology student began keeping a logbook at the camp he and a buddy had built along Salt River in central Kentucky. Part field journal, part diary, it chronicles the outdoor adventures of a group of young men in rural America just before they are called to serve during World War II. Their story is a reminder of a time when our lives were more rooted in the natural world, before a global war and the industries and public institutions it spawned accelerated our dislocation from our homes and our land. After serving as a lieutenant in Patton's army, the author, John C. Goodlett, continued his studies as a biologist at Harvard Forest and eventually accepted a position as a plant geographer at Johns Hopkins University. His life was cut short at age 44, but his academic contributions and these earliest journal notations reveal a man committed to the study of the natural world and the joys it offers its human inhabitants.

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9780999254011

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Reviews

John C. Goodlett, with deep roots in small-town Kentucky and the natural world, is Kentucky's emerging Thoreau, his journal a snapshot of an era of pre-war innocence in which bird calls and fishing in Salt River, identifying plants and shooting grackles, are a rehearsal for a career in plant geography as well as the upheaval of global war. His escapades in the woods, the idyllic cabin and camaraderie, are part of a coming-of-age story that in some ways serves as a chronicle for his generation. --Richard Taylor, Former Kentucky Poet Laureate, Author of The Feast of Silence, his 10th poetry collection We rarely get a look into the life of scientists during their formative years. John C. Goodlett began his career after military service in World War II and was an influential scientist whose work is still cited. This delightful book is a record of the keen observations of a young man along the Salt River in Kentucky. Much of the journal reflects the mundane life of camp, but it is Goodlett's detailed descriptions of the natural world that make this book stand out. He keyed out dead birds and live trees and observed both weather and the timing of natural events. In retrospect, it is easy to discern the beginnings of a career in biogeography. This book is a good record of the plants and animals of Kentucky before the war, but deserves to be read by anyone who wants to understand the making of a scientist. --Tom Kimmerer, Author of Venerable Trees: History, Biology, and Conservation in the Bluegrass [This journal] says everything about Pud and what he taught me and how I taught students for the rest of my academic career. As he used to say, 'Plants grow where you find 'em, ' which was not only a metaphor for plant geography, but a metaphor for life. I read his journal with great interest to see the roots of his love of nature, of life, and the people who surrounded him. --Alan Strahler, Professor Emeritus of Earth and Environment, Boston University The Last Resort is a charming reflection of the social and cultural history of rural Kentucky in the 1940s. --David J. Bettez, Author of Kentucky and the Great War: World War I on the Home Front Primary sources like these are so valuable for advancing our understanding of ordinary Americans' experiences in World War II. --Melissa McEuen, Professor of History, Transylvania University, Author of Making War, Making Women: Femininity and Duty on the American Home Front, 1941-1945

John C. Goodlett, with deep roots in small-town Kentucky and the natural world, is Kentucky's emerging Thoreau, his journal a snapshot of an era of pre-war innocence in which bird calls and fishing in Salt River, identifying plants and shooting grackles, are a rehearsal for a career in plant geography as well as the upheaval of global war. His escapades in the woods, the idyllic cabin and camaraderie, are part of a coming-of-age story that in some ways serves as a chronicle for his generation. --Richard Taylor, Former Kentucky Poet Laureate, Author of The Feast of Silence, his 10th poetry collection We rarely get a look into the life of scientists during their formative years. John C. Goodlett began his career after military service in World War II and was an influential scientist whose work is still cited. This delightful book is a record of the keen observations of a young man along the Salt River in Kentucky. Much of the journal reflects the mundane life of camp, but it is Goodlett's detailed descriptions of the natural world that make this book stand out. He keyed out dead birds and live trees and observed both weather and the timing of natural events. In retrospect, it is easy to discern the beginnings of a career in biogeography. This book is a good record of the plants and animals of Kentucky before the war, but deserves to be read by anyone who wants to understand the making of a scientist. --Tom Kimmerer, Author of Venerable Trees: History, Biology, and Conservation in the Bluegrass [This journal] says everything about Pud and what he taught me and how I taught students for the rest of my academic career. As he used to say, 'Plants grow where you find 'em, ' which was not only a metaphor for plant geography, but a metaphor for life. I read his journal with great interest to see the roots of his love of nature, of life, and the people who surrounded him. --Alan Strahler, Professor Emeritus of Earth and Environment, Boston University The Last Resort is a charming reflection of the social and cultural history of rural Kentucky in the 1940s. --David J. Bettez, Author of Kentucky and the Great War: World War I on the Home Front Primary sources like these are so valuable for advancing our understanding of ordinary Americans' experiences in World War II. --Melissa McEuen, Professor of History, Transylvania University, Author of Making War, Making Women: Femininity and Duty on the American Home Front, 1941-1945

Author Information

John C. Goodlett was a professor of plant geography at Johns Hopkins University. David Hoefer is an adjunct instructor in the anthropology department at the University of Louisville. Sallie Showalter is a writer and editor living in Georgetown, Kentucky.

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