In Dr. Wilson's classes, you don't only learn sitting on a lab stool. A passionate environmentalist, he enjoys teaching in the Sipsey Wilderness, on the Cahaba River, and at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and coastal preserves. He also involves his students in working to protect the unique ecosystem surrounding Judson.

His example rubs off. "Our students are motivated, high achievers with a strong work ethic, and they practice leadership," he says. They also have fun-camping, boating, birding, planting trees, studying lilies in Golden Swamp, maintaining Alabama Water Watch monitoring stations, even pouring concrete for benches in Perry Lakes Park.

Dr. Wilson was the 1989 recipient of the W. Kelly Moseley Environmental Award for Achievement in Forestry, Wildlife and Related Resources. This is the highest environmental award given in the State of Alabama. Another kind of legacy: the many Judson graduates who have gone on to become physicians, anesthesiologists, optometrists, veterinarians, research scientists, and many other specialists.

"Dr. Wilson is one of the reasons I came to Judson," says Lauren. "He's very dynamic when he lectures, and there's a lot of interaction, so you can't fall asleep!"

See Science at Judson