APSU professor’s “lifetime work” published, identifies state plants
May 8, 2015
Clarksville, TN – In January 1967, while The Rolling Stones performed on The Ed Sullivan Show and a blizzard dropped 23 inches of snow across Chicago, a young Austin Peay State University botany professor began a project that would take him nearly 50 years to complete.
Dr. Edward Chester, his suit then smelling of chalkboard dust and his dark hair pomaded in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis, sat at his desk that winter to write a comprehensive guide identifying all of Tennessee’s 2,878 vascular plants.

Dr. Edward Chester served as a contributor and primary editor for the new textbook, “Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee.” (Beth Liggett/APSU)
Several APSU faculty, staff announce recent activities
October 12, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Several faculty and staff members at Austin Peay State University announce their recent professional and scholarly activities.
Dr. Edward Wayne Chester, professor emeritus in the department of biology and the Center of Excellence for Field Biology, was presented the Conservation Award for 2011 at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Native Plant Society in September.
The award is given yearly to a person who has long advocated and supported the conservation and stewardship of Tennessee’s natural resources, especially native plants. Chester taught various biology and botany classes, conducted research and published numerous papers on the plant life of Tennessee and the southeast for more than 40 years. He currently teaches adjunct classes in biology and continues his research and writing. [Read more]







