Lyon article by Karen
Charles Julius Lyon
By Karen Cuccinello
Charles J. Lyon was a Stamford boy who lived most of his life in New Hampshire. He was quite well educated, served his country on the home front and was a science professor his entire adult life. Photos from the Stamford Village Library history room collection.
Charles was born October 27, 1896 in Grand Gorge, NY to Frank E. and Lizzie (Yerdon) Lyon. He was the oldest child and had four siblings, Walter, Radcliff, Loren and Clara. He and his future wife graduated from Stamford Seminary in 1914.
In the 1917-18 WWI registration card Charles lists his employer as School Board Orleane, VT, and his description was medium height and build, blue eyes and brown hair. His WWI Veterans Service information states he was inducted in the service August 27, 1918 at Walton, NY. Was in the 23rd Co. 6th Training Batt. 157th Depot Brigade Camp Gordon, GA. Transferred September 26 to Co. L. 6th Inf. Replacement Reg’t Camp Gordon, GA. Transferred October 19 to Infantry unassigned on unlimited furlough as instructor in chemistry, Middlebury College, VT in the S.A.T.C. (Student Army Training Corps) unit formed there. Discharged January 14, 1919 at Fort Ethan Allen, VT.
The 1918 Middlebury College Yearbook states his nickname was “Bunny” and that he was always happy.
On June 25,1921 Charles, an instructor of Hanover, NH, married Gertrude Morrow Adair of Margaretville. She was a teacher born September 10, 1896 in West Kortright to William and Eva (Sexsmith) Adair. They had one son, George.
Charles was a botany professor at Dartmouth University 1920-1961.
From the February 1954 US National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel Files (from Familysearch.org)- Charles J. Lyon of New Hampshire, PHD, ScD, EdD, Society name American Biological Society, year obtained 1926, institution granting degree Harvard (where he earned his PHD). In 1964 both Charles and Gertrude attended the Stamford Seminary reunion in Stamford.
Charles died in Hanover, NH August 6, 1971, age 74, after a lengthy illness. His ashes were buried in the North Kortright cemetery. Charles’s obituary only gave the basics but Gertrude’s obituary gave a lot more information.
Mrs. Gertrude Adair Lyon died March 12, 1980 in Hanover, NH, age 83. She was a graduate of Stamford Seminary in 1914 and Mount Holyoke College in 1919. She taught in the Margaretville High School until her marriage. Throughout her entire period in Hanover, Gertrude worked in close association with her husband as a laboratory assistant in his research projects and as companion on scouting expeditions for field trips for his Botany classes, at Dartmouth, until his death in 1971 soon after their 50th wedding anniversary. A significant contribution in addition to teaching was the analysis of plant growth by three ring measurement, enabling the dating of buildings and the drowning of forests, to be carried back more then 1000 years. In later years they were active in the NASA biosatellite program where the experimental growth of plants in space without gravity pioneered new concepts. She was a member of the Hanover Congregational Church and active in local Womans and Garden Clubs in Hanover. She is survived by a son,
Dr. George Adair Lyon of Anchorage, Alaska and five grandchildren. Her obituary did not definitively say but I am quite certain she is buried in the North Kortright Cemetery with Charles and her son.