Dr. Ralph Millard Sargent was born on May 10, 1904 in Austin, Minnesota to Charles James Sargent and Katherine Sargent. After earning his Bachelor’s at Carleton College, he then continued his education at Yale University where he earned a Ph.D. by 1931. He married Louise Alexandria Sargent and moved to Haverford, Pennsylvania to become a Professor of English at Haverford College, where he also served as an editor for the Haverford Review. Dr. Sargent also showed a great interest in botany and conservation while serving as the Vice President of the Philadelphia Botanical Club, as well as getting involved in other botanical organizations and efforts. He assisted his friend, Carlos C. Campbell, with Campbell’s book, Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers, by providing transparencies of various flora to be published in the book. He passed away on June 17, 1985 in his town of residence, Haverford, PA. Following his death in 1985, the Highlands Biological Station established the Ralph M. Sargent Memorial Scholarship in honor of his long association with the organization.

Carlos Clinton Campbell was born on August 6, 1892 in Kodak, Tennessee to George Marshall Campbell and Reba Moore Campbell. At age 12, he moved to Knoxville where he attended school and resided for most of his life. Carlos married Ida Watson Campbell and had three children: Jean Harvey Jr., Carlos Clinton Campbell Jr., and James Marshall Campbell. He contributed greatly to the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association, an organization established to create and preserve the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, by being among the founding members and serving as secretary for decades. In addition to this, he also wrote the book Birth of a National Park as well as coauthoring Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers. For his dedication to the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association, he received an honorary National Park Ranger Award and the Horace M. Albright Preservation Medal. He died on August 19, 1978 but, after his death, was further honored with the creation of the Carlos C. Campbell Memorial Research Fellowship and having the Carlos C. Campbell Overlook named after him.