Botanical Society of America Certificate of Merit

On 28 August 1956, the Botanical Society of America (BSA) presented Mary Agnes Chase with its prestigious Certificate of Merit for distinguished achievement in botanical science.[7][11] The award, given during the society’s 50th anniversary celebrations, recognized her as "one of the world’s outstanding agrostologists and preeminent among American students in this field," underscoring her international stature.[3][10]

By this time, Chase had published over seventy scientific papers, authored landmark monographs and textbooks on grasses, and contributed decades of service to the U.S. National Herbarium and USDA systematic agrostology.[1][12] Her extensive field collections from North and South America, along with her annotated index of approximately 80,000 grass specimens, had become foundational resources for researchers.[12] The BSA certificate thus honored not only a single discovery but a lifetime of meticulous taxonomic work.

The recognition is historically important because formal honors for women botanists were still relatively rare in the mid-twentieth century. Chase’s award signaled a growing, though still limited, willingness of professional societies to acknowledge women’s scientific leadership.[2][7] It also cemented her legacy within the discipline, ensuring that future generations would view her contributions as central to the development of modern agrostology. The 28 August 1956 ceremony stands out as one of the highest professional accolades of her career and a key milestone in the broader history of women’s recognition in botanical science.[3][7][11]