Frank B. Wynn
Encyclopedia
Frank Barbour Wynn was an American
psychologist
doctor and early environmental conservationist
. His father, James M. Wynn was born in 1832 and his mother, Margaret, was born in 1835. This family was listed in the 1860 US census as the most prosperous farmers on the page. His mother, Margaret, was the youngest of the five brothers and five sisters in her family (Dunn, 1919). His grandparents were John and Rachel Wynn both born in 1789.
in 1883. Two years later he graduated in medicine from the Miami Medical College of Ohio, following which he served one year as intern in the Good Samaritan Hospital
in Cincinnati, a position he obtained after a competitive examination. In 1886 he was granted the degree of Master of Arts, also from DePauw University.
from 1886 to 1888. At
the Ohio Asylum, Wynn came under the tutelage of Dr. Josiah Rogers and Dr. Sam Smith, distinguished neuropsychiatrists who would later head the American Psychiatric Association
. Smith also later became the first chancellor of the Indiana University School of Medicine
. Wynn began his association with Dr. Henry H. Goddard while at the Ohio Asylum. Goddard was a specialist in mental conditions and is credited with coining the term "moron
" to describe a level of feeble-mindedness, or an IQ score between 50 and 69. Dr. Goddard became world famous for his introduction of IQ testing in America, and he had correspondence with Dr. Albert Einstein
. A copy of one of the Einstein letters to Goddard is in the Archives of the History of American Psychology at the University of Akron
, Ohio.
long before it was a popular notion. He spent many of his summers hiking and climbing. He led parties on many of the first ascents of several major peaks in Glacier National Park. In 1920 he was the first to climb Mount Cleveland
, the highest peak in the park. President
Woodrow Wilson
ordered that Point Mountain be renamed Mount Wynn in recognition of Wynn's contribution to the state park system in the United States. Wynn conceived and proposed the idea of creating a state park in Indiana
on site of the log cabin farm where Abraham Lincoln
spent most of his boyhood years. The state park was made a national park
by President John F. Kennedy
in 1962.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychologist
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
doctor and early environmental conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
. His father, James M. Wynn was born in 1832 and his mother, Margaret, was born in 1835. This family was listed in the 1860 US census as the most prosperous farmers on the page. His mother, Margaret, was the youngest of the five brothers and five sisters in her family (Dunn, 1919). His grandparents were John and Rachel Wynn both born in 1789.
Education
Wynn graduated from DePauw UniversityDePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
in 1883. Two years later he graduated in medicine from the Miami Medical College of Ohio, following which he served one year as intern in the Good Samaritan Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital (Cincinnati)
Good Samaritan Hospital, the oldest and largest private teaching and specialty health care facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, was opened in 1852 under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Charity. The hospital is member of TriHealth, a joint operating agreement between Catholic Health...
in Cincinnati, a position he obtained after a competitive examination. In 1886 he was granted the degree of Master of Arts, also from DePauw University.
Professional life
After spending a few years studying and mountain climbing in Europe, Wynn returned to Indianapolis to set up his professional practice, giving emphasis to internal medicine, diagnosis, and pathology. Walters (2009) further stated that, “Since that time his activities were so varied and of such value that no history of Indiana, covering the period from 1900 to the date of his death, can be fully and truthfully written without frequent mention of them." Wynn was selected as the first city sanitarian of Indianapolis and became identified with the Department of Pathology of the Medical College of Indiana. From 1895 until his death, for 27 years, he held the Chair of Medical Diagnosis in the Indiana School of Medicine. Wynn served as assistant physician in the Ohio Asylum for the Insane, at Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
from 1886 to 1888. At
the Ohio Asylum, Wynn came under the tutelage of Dr. Josiah Rogers and Dr. Sam Smith, distinguished neuropsychiatrists who would later head the American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
. Smith also later became the first chancellor of the Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
The Indiana University School of Medicine is a leading medical school and medical research powerhouse connected to Indiana University. With several teaching campuses in the state, the School of Medicine has its predominant research and medical center at the Indiana University – Purdue University...
. Wynn began his association with Dr. Henry H. Goddard while at the Ohio Asylum. Goddard was a specialist in mental conditions and is credited with coining the term "moron
Moron (psychology)
Moron is a term once used in psychology to denote mild mental retardation. The term was closely tied with the American eugenics movement. Once the term became popularized, it fell out of use by the psychological community, as it was used more commonly as an insult than as a psychological...
" to describe a level of feeble-mindedness, or an IQ score between 50 and 69. Dr. Goddard became world famous for his introduction of IQ testing in America, and he had correspondence with Dr. Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. A copy of one of the Einstein letters to Goddard is in the Archives of the History of American Psychology at the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
, Ohio.
Conservationist
Wynn was a lover of nature, a member of the Indiana Audubon Society, and president of the Indiana Nature Study Club. He was also a member of the Committee to Collect Data on the Archeology of Indiana. Wynn fought for the environmental conservationConservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
long before it was a popular notion. He spent many of his summers hiking and climbing. He led parties on many of the first ascents of several major peaks in Glacier National Park. In 1920 he was the first to climb Mount Cleveland
Mount Cleveland (Montana)
Mount Cleveland is the highest mountain in Glacier National Park, located in Montana, United States. It is also the highest point in the Lewis Range, which spans part of the northern portion of the Park and extends into Canada...
, the highest peak in the park. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
ordered that Point Mountain be renamed Mount Wynn in recognition of Wynn's contribution to the state park system in the United States. Wynn conceived and proposed the idea of creating a state park in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
on site of the log cabin farm where Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
spent most of his boyhood years. The state park was made a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in 1962.