Professor Webster Chester took over the fledgling Colby Biology department and built much of it himself during his 40+ years at Colby from 1903 to 1948. He would return to Colby many times as a professor emeritus and speaker at many events, never quite leaving the school for good. Chester was an eccentric and dedicated teacher who began his teaching career at Colby with only a few tables, 7 microscopes in various states of disrepair, and 135 dollars a year for an annual budget. It is difficult to overstate the work Chester did for the school, as he spent countless hours over many years gathering and preparing samples by hand, building additional laboratory furniture, and pushing for a better student experience schoolwide. He would often leave campus to train himself in new and relevant disciplines of Biology so that he could better teach his students the evolving field of academia.
Professor Chester endeavored to make biological knowledge more accessible and interesting to all students, restructuring introductory classes to lower the strain on students new to the field. He often stressed the importance of increasing the number of support staff for students, as well as fostering an environment where they could learn the material more effectively. To this end, he created a museum of sorts, where students could examine specimens from all over in the hopes of providing new and different forms of life that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see. His work allowed for a great number of students to experience Biology to the fullest in ways that surpassed even other schools.
Curated by Karl Hick
Also see Webster Chester, The Exemplary Professor, an essay by Karl Hick