Samuel J. (Samuel James) Record

Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, in 1881, Samuel James Record studied at Wabash College before earning a Master of Forestry degree from Yale in 1905. After work with the U.S. Forest Service, he joined the Yale School of Forestry faculty in 1910 and went on to build a lasting reputation as a specialist in wood anatomy and forest products.

Record became especially known for careful, practical work on the identification and description of woods. He wrote and edited important books and reference works, including studies of timbers from the Americas, and his research helped connect botany, forestry, and industry in a way that was useful both to scientists and to working professionals.

He died in 1945, but his influence continued through the students he taught and the standard works he left behind. For listeners interested in natural history, forestry, or the science behind everyday materials, his writing offers a clear window into an era when wood science was taking shape as its own discipline.