Travel back in time to any year in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Meetings & Courses history. You’d find yourself rubbing elbows with Nobel laureates, groundbreaking researchers, and promising students from a wide range of scientific disciplines. Return to the summer of 1929 and you might encounter two young scientists relaxing in the sun on CSHL’s Blackford lawn.
Ruth Patrick was here studying the relationship between flowering plants and soil composition. Patrick’s companion, Charles Hodge IV, was studying firefly and grasshopper metabolisms. The two young researchers were not only starting out on what would become long and accomplished careers in the life sciences. They were also taking the first steps toward what would become an equally impressive 53-year marriage.
Their son Charles Hodge V recently spoke with CSHL about his parents’ relationship and legacy.

A 2004 documentary looks back on the groundbreaking achievements of environmental science pioneer Dr. Ruth Patrick. Video: PBS
“My parents were devoted to each other,” Hodge says. “They were also passionate about their work. My father was an excellent teacher, instructing generations of scientists at Temple University. And my mother pioneered an entirely new field of research in a time when women simply didn’t have the same opportunities as men.”
Ruth Patrick’s groundbreaking 1948 survey of Pennsylvania’s Conestoga Creek laid the foundation for the fields known today as environmental science and environmental management. These interdisciplinary areas address humanity’s impact on Earth’s ecosystems and the complex issues that arise as a result.
Patrick was especially concerned with water pollution. Her work led to the 1949 “Patrick Principle.” She famously found that “the presence of different species often pointed to different types of water.” Today, this idea seems almost intuitive. But Patrick’s studies were the first to link biodiversity and water quality.
Dr. Ruth Patrick helped establish Pennsylvania’s Stroud Water Research Center in 1967. Inside the experimental greenhouse seen here, Patrick studied how pollutants affect algae communities. Image: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
It’s no coincidence Patrick’s core thoughts on these issues came to her on the shores of Cold Spring Harbor. Our campus is part of Long Island’s largest National Wildlife Refuge. The 3,200-acre watershed is home to about 25 different species of waterfowl and once supplied up to 90% of New York’s oyster harvest.
CSHL’s 1929 Annual Report (PDF) offers an early glimpse into Patrick’s research:
Miss Ruth Patrick carried out a series of soil tests for hydrogen-ion in Plant communities that had been carefully studied floristically. Her suggestive findings may furnish material for immediate publication, or may be held for additional data.”
According to her son, Patrick considered herself a “steward of the environment.” She would often credit her summer at CSHL with giving her a world-class biology education. “My mother always spoke about the value of summer courses and their importance to her work,” Hodge says. He also points out that in noting Patrick’s “suggestive findings,” CSHL was among the first institutions to recognize her work’s potential.
Patrick would go on to advise five U.S. presidents on water quality and pollution. Congress would call on her to help write the 1972 Clean Water Act. In 1996, President Clinton awarded Patrick the National Medal of Science. She joined an honor roll of recipients including CSHL’s Barbara McClintock—the first woman to receive the award.
Charles Hodge V and his family had the opportunity to walk in his parents’ footsteps during a recent visit to CSHL. To their delight, they found that in some ways, the lab still looks much like it does in treasured family photos. The lawn where Ruth and Charles IV gathered with friends is still here. The harbor view remains as pristine as ever.
Nearly a century since Ruth Patrick met her future husband Charles Hodge IV at Cold Spring Harbor, Blackford lawn remains a beloved gathering place for CSHL course attendees to relax during downtime on campus. Image: CSHL Meetings & Courses
“It was a very special feeling coming to CSHL and seeing the place where my parents’ union began,” Hodge recalls, “a wonderful experience for my family and me.”
For over 130 years, CSHL has been a breeding ground for ideas with the power to change the world. Of course, these ideas don’t just emerge spontaneously out of coursework. They come from people—from families—exchanging life lessons with one another across generational and cultural divides.
“Generations of scientists from around the world have become a part of our vibrant intellectual community,” CSHL President and CEO Bruce Stillman says. “Their exchanges and experiences at CSHL have shaped society and strengthened science worldwide. And it is always a pleasure seeing the Laboratory bring people together who meet for the first time here, end up married, and both have highly successful careers in science.”
Written by: Nick Wurm, Communications Specialist | [email protected] | 516-367-5940

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