| Carolle Elizabeth Anderson was a botanist, educator, and community leader born in Ashfield, Massachusetts. She received her B.S. in botany from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (then called the Massachusetts State College) in 1932. She remained at the college for her masters before obtaining her doctorate from Cornell University in 1940. She instructed classes at both colleges while earning her degrees. While at Cornell, she studied under Arthur J. Eames and focused on floral anatomy, culminating in her doctoral thesis: Some studies on the floral anatomy of the Liliales. She went on to teach for 24 years at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, Sweet Briar College in Virginia, and Earlham College in Indiana. As a community leader after her retirement, she was especially focused on beautification and conservation. Anderson was especially known for her work to preserve the Bridge of Flowers in Shelbourne Falls, MA. She served as a member of the Shelbourne Falls Women's Club and was their president from 1978-1980, and she was the chair of its Bridge of Flowers Committee in the 1980s. She was also a member or leader of a number of other organizations and societies, including the Bridge of Flowers Preservation Inc., the Ashfield Historical Society, National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, and the National Parks Association. |
