Researching John Small

Born on January 31, 1869 in Harrisburg Pennsylvania, Kunkel studied botany at Franklin & Marshall College and Columbia University. He was the first Curator of Museums at The New York Botanical Garden, a post in which he served from 1898 until 1906. From 1906 to 1934 he was Head Curator and then from 1934 until his death he was Chief Research Associate and Curator. Small's doctoral dissertation, published as Flora of the Southeastern United States in 1903, and revised in 1913 and 1933, remains the best floristic reference for much of the South. Assisted by the patronage of Charles Deering, Small traveled extensively around Florida recording plants and land formations.

Small was an early botanist explorer of Florida, documenting many things for the first time, although the flora and fauna were well known to the local Seminole Indians. His first trip to the region was in 1901. Over the next 37 years, Small visited many times "to collect specimens, to study the natural history of the region, and to photograph natural landscapes, tropical plants, Seminoles and other local folk". Small explored by both car and boat, often bringing along his wife Elizabeth, and their two boys and two girls.

"Small's botanical research was recorded in 450 published works, mostly articles, and numerous unpublished typescripts. Among his most well-known publications is the book From Eden to Sahara: Florida's Tragedy, which received acclaim in 1929 for documenting the severe deterioration of south Florida's botanical resources that he had observed up to that time."

Small was a very influential player who was involved in the creation of two significant permanent additions to the Laws of Cricket: the maximum width of the bat and the introduction of the middle stump in the wicket. Acclaimed as the greatest player associated with the famous Hambledon Club, Small is the first person known to have been described in literature in terms that attest him to have been a "superstar". In 1997, he was named by The Times as one of its 100 Greatest Cricketers of All Time.

Born in York Township, Upper Canada, Small was educated in his home district schools and at the Upper Canada College.

Both Small's grandfather, also named John Small, and his father Charles Coxwell Small had been the Chief Clerk of Upper Canada's Privy Council.

In 1855 he was elected to the Parliament of the Province of Canada for East Toronto Riding.

From 1855 to 1882, he was a taxing officer of the Court of the Queen's Bench. From 1878 to 1879, he was a member of the Toronto City Council. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for Toronto East in the 1882 federal election. A Conservative, he was re-elected in 1887. He did not run in 1891 and was appointed collector of customs in Toronto.

A native of Lumberton, North Carolina, he played collegiately for The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina where he was a three-time all Southern Conference selection as well as an Honorable Mention All American pick as a sophomore and junior. In his senior season in 1969 he was a Second Team Associated Press All American and a First Team pick by Sporting News, Time Magazine, and the Newspaper Enterprise Association. He was the First Round pick and 12th overall selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1970 NFL Draft; he played for three years with the Falcons and two more with the Detroit Lions, retiring after the 1974 season.

Small was a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the highest award given by the state of South Carolina; in 1977 he was a member of the inaugural class of the Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1988 he was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and that same year was named to the Southern Conference 75th Anniversary team.

After football, Small was a speaker at schools and hospitals in the Augusta area. He helped create a Christian ministry program to help troubled youth called JKS Team Incorporated (where he led as CEO).

Small is featured as one of the central figures in American artist John Trumbull's notable painting, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775; versions were completed in the early 19th century. Small is shown deflecting a bayonet away from General Warren, who had been a friend before the hostilities broke out. Small returned to Great Britain after the war. He was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey and promoted to major general, serving from 1793 until his death in 1796.