Business and an interest in nature
Stroud was born in Villanova, Pennsylvania, on 22 February 1917 and graduated from Princeton University in 1939. He served in the navy during the Second World War. In the mid-1950s, he became president of the International Basic Economy Corporation, working with agricultural and other businesses in developing countries.
References: [1]
From collecting shells to a freshwater laboratory
In 1956, Stroud joined an Academy of Natural Sciences shell-collecting expedition off New Guinea. He and his wife Joan later became friends with limnologist Ruth Patrick. Their collaboration supported a freshwater field station that opened above the family garage in 1966 and subsequently moved to land donated by the couple beside White Clay Creek.
Applying research on the land
Stroud sought to apply scientific findings to his farming and land management. He supported open-space conservation, reforestation and the preservation of historic buildings, while also removing invasive plants and planting trees himself. Research sponsorship was thus linked with practical stewardship of the surrounding landscape.
References: [1]
Sustaining the research centre
After leaving IBEC in the late 1960s, Stroud devoted more time to farming, businesses and environmental interests. The centre remained a principal commitment, developing from an Academy field station into an independent nonprofit in 1999. He died at his Pennsylvania home on 15 April 2005.
References: [1]