HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980 06-25 James McKee, Nature Center staffer, dies from leukemia THE REVIEW %47x7
James McKee, Nature Center
staffer, dies from leukemia
James McKee, 40, a naturalist at the favorite projects at the center was the
Maplewood Nature Center, died June 19 restoration of a prairie area.. With the
after being hospitalized for four months help of scouts and school groups, he
with acute myelocytic leukemia. collected native plants and seeds from
Memorial services were conducted on remnants of prairies around Maplewood.
June 22. A native of Syracuse, NY, he He then transplanted them at the nature
graduated from Cornell University, center. He also discovered a rare, un-
Ithica, NY, in 1961 with a degree in disturbed wet prairie in Maplewood,near
zoology.He earned a Master's Degree in the intersection of Larpenteur and
zoology from the University of Minnesota Century Avenues.
in 1968. He was known as"Raccoon Jim"to the
Before joining the City of Maplewood thousands of youngsters who went on the
staff, he worked at summer nature nature study tours he conducted at the
camps,was a research assistant at the U. center.
of M., was as a consultant to the Min- McKee is survived by his sister, Betty
nesota Environmental Science Center, of Granville, OH.
worked as a naturalist at Dodge Nature
Center for three summers and was a park
naturalist at Flandrau and Helmer Myre
State Parks.
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McKee was instrumental in the plan-
ning and development of the Maplewood '
Nature Center programs. One of his °
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Jim McKee