Ellen Schulz Quillin
| Ellen Schulz Quillin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 16, 1892 Saginaw County, Michigan |
| Died | May 6, 1970 (aged 77) San Antonio, Texas |
| Resting place | Sunset Memorial Park, San Antonio, TX |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | Witte Museum |
| Education | M.S., University of Michigan, 1918 |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | E.D.Schulz |
| Spouse | Roy Quillin |
Ellen Dorothy Schulz Quillin (June 16, 1892 – May 6, 1970) was an American botanist, author, and museum director who helped establish the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas. She was the museum's director from 1926 to 1960. Quillin also wrote several field guides relating to plants in Texas.
Ellen Dorothy Schulz was born on June 16, 1892, in Saginaw County, Michigan, the daughter of William and Anna (Millfeld) Schulz. She received an M.S. degree from the University of Michigan in 1918 and did postgraduate work at the University of Texas from 1920 to 1922. She married Roy W. Quillin, an employee of Mobil and amateur ornithologist and oologist, on July 29, 1927. The couple had no children.
Ellen Quillin taught in the San Antonio public school system from 1916 to 1933; from 1923 to 1933 she was director of nature study and science. She was an instructor in systematic botany for the University of Texas during the summer terms of 1921–1923, and a lecturer in natural history from 1927 to 1951.
In the 1920s, Quillin was instrumental in organizing the San Antonio Museum Association and raising funds to house the collection of natural history specimens of Henry Philemon Attwater. These efforts culminated in the opening of the Witte Museum on October 8, 1926 under the charter of the museum association. The Witte is devoted to natural history, the history of Texas, and the arts. Quillin was elected the first director of the Museum, a post which she held until May, 1960. On her retirement, she continued as director emeritus, until her death in 1970.
The 1930s brought the Great Depression and a challenging economic climate for the Witte and its patrons alike. As a fundraising initiative in response, Quillin built the Reptile Garden on museum grounds, using donated labor and materials. Live snakes, turtles, lizards, and alligators were to be displayed. This somewhat bizarre tourist attraction opened on June 8, 1933. Despite the gimmicky snake-handling demonstrations and turtle races, the Reptile Garden became a research facility for antivenom experimentation and it attracted international scholars. The Reptile Garden also bolstered the Witte's finances for ten years. On closure of the Reptile Garden, the collection of live snakes was donated to the San Antonio Zoo.
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