outbreak of the war made the postponement necessary till the present happier days, when Prague and Bohemia are free again.
Professor Šimek was married in June 23, 1886,, to Miss Anna E. Konvalinka. They have five children: Ella, high school teacher; Bertha, married to Dr. P. J. Hanzlik, of Cleveland; Anna, married to M. O. Hanzlik of Cedar Rapids, Ia.; Vlasta, married to Dr. George Křepelka of Staceyville, Ia., and Frank who has recently returned from service in the Navy to his studies at the University. In addition to Šimek’s son all his sons-in-law were in the service of the United States during the war.
Much of Šimek’s wonderful energy was devoted to the welfare of his kinsmen by blood—Americans of Czechoslovak descent. A sturdy American himself, he does not believe that Americanization consists in throwing away old traditions and spiritual inheritance of the old European stock; on the contrary, he wants such values saved and added to the intellectual stock of American wealth. Above all he desires to give a broad education to the younger generation of his people which had been denied to their parents. He helped to organize and is now the president of the “Council of Higher Education” (Matice Vyššího Vzdělání), a foundation which made it possible for scores of the young Bohemian-Americans to attend college.
When war broke out and the dawn of Czechoslovak independence could be seen on the reddened skies of Europe, Professor Šimek was among the leaders of the movement in America from the beginning. He was chairman of the Iowa District of the Bohemian National Alliance, and when later all the Czech and Slovak organizations, working for the independence of their old home, combined into one central body, Šimek was unanimously made president of the new American Czechoslovak Board. At the same time he took a prominent part in the various war activities of the American government, making addresses in hundreds of towns in the Central Western States.
Professor B. Šimek is a great scholar, great teacher, great citizen. His people love and respect him, and they are pleased to see that his value is appreciated both here and abroad.
Profesor Bohumil Šimek is member of the following scientific societies:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (vicepresident in 1911.)
Geological Society of America.
Botanical Society of America.
Iowa Academy of Science (expresident).
St. Louis Academy of Sciences.
Washington Academy of Sciences.
Iowa Conservation Association (member of Advisory Board).
Sigma Xi.
Baconian Club, State University of Iowa.
Honorary Member of the Botanical Society of Bohemia.
Honorary Chairman of the Geological Section of the Medical and Natural Science Congress, held in Prague, June 1914.
Traveled extensively in connection with fieldwork in botany and geology, made about 20 trips west of Texas, to Southern California, Northern Mexico, Central America, visited nearly all the states of the Union, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Iowa was covered by him very thoroughly, especially in conection with the study of the causes of treelessness of the prairies (botanical), and of the genesis of the loess (geological). He held a number of honorary public offices in Iowa City and is a high degree Mason.
The results of Dr. Šimek’s scientific works have been published in 113 reports and monographs, bulletins and scientific papers. Lack of space does not permit their complete enumeration. They may be summarized as follows: 37 papers dealt with geology, 45 with botany, 12 with zoology, and 19 with diverse topics. Šimek is primarily a botanist, but his study of extinct types led him into geology, in which field he made important original contributions. His theory regarding the aerial deposit of loess in Iowa, at first hotly contested, was finally proved and accepted.
