Page:Czecho-Slovak Student Life, Volume 18.djvu/233

neering at the State University of Iowa was made possible partly by the knowledge of outdoors which enabled him to furnish field supplies to the biological laboratories, and partly by ordinary manual labor.

He practiced engineering for about ten years, but early turned to the favored field of biological study and began the work of teaching and research in this field almost immediately after his graduation. In 1902 he took the M. S. degree with the major in botany, and in 1919 received the honorary Ph. D. from the University of Prague in recognition of his scientific work.

While a native of Iowa and deeply loyal to his country, he has always retained a strong interest in the people of his ancestry. Early in his experience he organized, at Iowa City, an evening school for those who wished instruction in English, and later was one of the founders, and for twenty-one years the president, of the Council of Higher Education, the purpose of which was to induce young people of Czech blood to enter the better class of our educational institutions, and where necessary to aid them by honor loans.

This interest was maintained during the World War. While, as an American citizen, he contributed liberally in time and money (and particularly as a speaker) to our cause, he labored at the same time for the freedom of the land of his origin that his own father’s earlier hopes and dreams might be realized. In the latter service he became president of the Iowa division of the Bohemian-American Alliance and president of the Czechoslovak National Council. In recognition of this service he was recently granted a medal by the Czechoslovak government.

He has always taken a deep interest in public affairs and for nearly thirty years held various minor public offices.

He has always taken a lively interest in the conservation of our natural beauties and resources, and has spoken and written on this subject extensively.

The prairies and the loess have been the most fertile fields of his researches. He has travelled extensively in connection with his field studies in various parts of our own country, in Mexico, Central America, Canada and Europe, but most of his highly effective work was and is being done in Iowa and neighboring states. The botanical and other collections of the University of Iowa have been greatly enriched as a result.

He has delivered hundreds of public addresses on a great variety of subjects. Many of these were given in the tongue of his fathers, which was also used in the course of lectures given at the University of Prague as exchange professor in 1914.

As a teacher Professor Shimek has carried heavy responsibilities and attained to high distinction. After a short experience in public school work, he taught for a time in the University of Nebraska but was soon called back to help with the work in botany in his Alma Mater, the University of Iowa. There he rose through the aca-