Ebenezer Laing
{{short description|Ghanaian botanist and geneticist}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Ebenezer Laing
| honorific_suffix = FGA, FAAS, OV
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|6|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = Cape Coast, Gold Coast
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|04|19|1931|6|28|df=yes}}
| other_names =
| nationality = {{unbulleted list|British subject (1931–1957)|Ghanaian (1957–2015)}}
| fields = {{hlist|Botany|Genetics}}
| workplaces = University of Ghana, Legon
| doctoral_advisor = Ronald Fisher
| known_for = {{unbulleted list|Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, Legon|Contributions to science education and botany}}
| education = {{unbulleted list|Adisadel College|Achimota School}}
| alma_mater ={{unbulleted list|University College of the Gold Coast / University of London (BSc)|University of Cambridge (PhD)}}
| years_active =
| organization =
| agent =
}}
Ebenezer Laing, {{post nominals|post-noms=FGA, FAAS, OV}} (28 June 1931 – 19 April 2015) was a Ghanaian botanist and geneticist who served as the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon.{{Cite web|url=http://ebenezer.laing.muchloved.com|title=Memorial to Ebenezer Laing, 1931 - 2015.|website=Memorial to Ebenezer Laing, 1931 - 2015.|access-date=2017-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826173709/http://ebenezer.laing.muchloved.com/|archive-date=26 August 2015|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=244rAAAAYAAJ&q=ebenezer+laing+ghana&pg=PA214|title=Programs of the Board on Science and Technology for International Development: Summary of Activities, 1970-78|last=Relations|first=National Research Council (U S. ) Commission on International|date=1978|publisher=National Academies|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117184930/https://books.google.com/books?id=244rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA214&dq=ebenezer+laing+ghana&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7n6qno4TVAhWJ6CYKHZi0CgEQ6AEILDAC#v=onepage&q=ebenezer%20laing%20ghana&f=false|archive-date=17 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.ug.edu.gh/botany/visitors/contact_us |title=Contact Us {{!}} Department of Botany |date=2017-03-29 |access-date=2017-07-13 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329232450/http://www.ug.edu.gh/botany/visitors/contact_us |archive-date=29 March 2017 }} He was a professor at the University of Ghana, Legon, and later an emeritus professor.{{Cite web |date= |title=More funding needed for public tertiary education in Ghana - Prof Laing |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/More-funding-needed-for-public-tertiary-education-in-Ghana-Prof-Laing-249575 |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}} Laing, together with his university and faculty colleague, George C. Clerk (1931–2019), was one of the first Ghanaian academics to specialise in botany as a scientific discipline and contributed significantly to the growth of the field in Ghana.{{Cite news|url=https://omgvoice.com/lifestyle/gh-science-tech-acheivement/|title=12 Amazing Ghanaian Achievements In The Field Of Science And The People Behind Them|date=2017-09-12|work=OMGVoice.com|access-date=2017-11-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127050214/https://omgvoice.com/lifestyle/gh-science-tech-acheivement/|archive-date=27 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite book|url=http://brochure.linqworth.com/ProfEmeritusGeorgeCarverClerk.pdf|title=Burial and Thanksgiving Service for the late Professor Emeritus George Carver Clerk, FGA (1931–2019)|work=Presbyterian Church of Ghana Funeral Bulletin|publisher=Akuafo Hall Chapel, University of Ghana, Legon|date=June 2019|location=Accra|pages=6–41}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web|url=https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/users/264613-daniel-p-clerk/posts/49989-in-memoriam-george-carver-clerk-87|title=In memoriam: George Carver Clerk, 87|date=2019-06-13|website=Nature Research Ecology & Evolution Community|language=en|access-date=2019-06-13|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804054905/https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/posts/49989-in-memoriam-george-carver-clerk-87|url-status=dead}}{{Cite journal|date=July 2019|title=Obituary of George Carver Clerk, 1931–2019|url=https://www.isppweb.org/newsletters/pdf/49_7.pdf|url-status=live|journal=ISPP Newsletter|publisher=International Society for Plant Pathology|volume=49|issue=7|pages=5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701171541/https://www.isppweb.org/newsletters/pdf/49_7.pdf|archive-date=2019-07-01|access-date=2019-07-01}} He was also a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, inducted in 1965.{{Cite web|url=http://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/membership/ |title=Membership |website=gaas-gh.org |language=en-US |access-date=2017-07-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329143021/http://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/membership/ |archive-date=29 March 2017 }}{{Cite web|url=http://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/ |title=Fellowship |website=gaas-gh.org |language=en-US |access-date=2017-07-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330011437/http://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/ |archive-date=30 March 2017 }} In 1985, he was elected an inaugural Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aasciences.africa/fellow/laing-ebenezer|title=Laing Ebenezer {{!}} The AAS|website=www.aasciences.africa|access-date=2019-11-17|archive-date=28 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028115103/https://www.aasciences.africa/fellow/laing-ebenezer|url-status=dead}}
Early life and education
Ebenezer Laing was born in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana on 28 June 1931. He was educated at the all-boys’ Anglican boarding school, Adisadel College and continued at Achimota School for sixth form. Between 1951 and 1954, he attended the University College of the Gold Coast, then an external affiliate of the University of London and obtained a bachelor's degree in botany with first-class honours. He was the recipient of the Basindale Prize for ranking second in his class. He proceeded to Corpus Christi College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge where from 1954 to 1958, he earned a doctoral degree in Genetics{{Cite web|url=https://gh.linkedin.com/in/ebenezer-laing-83271230|title=Ebenezer Laing: Independent Research Professional|website=linkedin.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-12-20|df=dmy-all}} as a student of Sir Ronald Fisher.{{cite journal|author-last=Newport|author-first=Melanie|title=African Society of Human Genetics 8th Scientific Meeting held in conjunction with the H3Africa Consortium, May 19th-21st 2013, Accra, Ghana|pages=7–8|journal=The Galton Institute Newsletter|number=80|url=http://www.galtoninstitute.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Galton-Newsletter-Summer-2013.pdf|year=2013|access-date=20 December 2020|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120184012/http://www.galtoninstitute.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Galton-Newsletter-Summer-2013.pdf|url-status=dead}}
Career
Ebenezer Laing was appointed a lecturer at the University of Ghana’s botany department and rose through the ranks to become a full professor. He later became the chairman of the botany department. His research was in plant genetics. He also served as the Hall Master of Legon Hall, of which he was an alumnus.{{Cite web|url=http://vibeghana.com/2012/08/23/photos-legon-hall-launches-60th-anniversary/prof-atta-peters-congratulating-former-legon-hall-master-prof-emeritus-ebenezer-laing-for-attending-the-function/|title=Prof. Atta -Peters congratulating former Legon Hall Master, Prof. Emeritus Ebenezer Laing, for attending the function.|website=vibeghana.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104123543/http://vibeghana.com/2012/08/23/photos-legon-hall-launches-60th-anniversary/prof-atta-peters-congratulating-former-legon-hall-master-prof-emeritus-ebenezer-laing-for-attending-the-function/|archive-date=4 November 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} Other senior administrative positions he held include the Dean of the Faculty of Science and the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university. He was also an external examiner at other universities on the African continent. During his long teaching career, he had courtesy appointments at various departments at the University of Ghana including the Institute of African Studies, the Regional Institute for Population Studies, Department of Geography, Psychology Department, Department of Community Health at UGMS, Korle-Bu, School of Public Health as well as the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD).
He was also a board member, advisor or consultant to several institutions: the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences where he was elected a Fellow in 1965, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Cocoa Research Institute, the Volta Basin Research Project and the Population Dynamics Program at the University of Ghana, Legon. He was also a Founding Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, elected in 1985. He also provided advisory services to the development of new higher education initiatives in both the public and private sector in Ghana. These include the University for Development Studies, the Presbyterian University College and the Anglican University College of Technology.
He was engaged in international work, among other designations as a member of the joint WHO/FAO/UNEP Panel of Experts on Environmental Management for Vector Control (PEEM) between 1981 and 1995. He co-chaired the ninth PEEM meeting at the World Health Organization in 1989, and was the national counterpart for the organization of the 1992 three-week Health Impact Assessment training course "Health Opportunities in Water Resources Development", held in Akosombo, Ghana.
Personal life
He was married to Mildred Laing and had three children. He was an amateur photographer and a trained concert pianist with special interest in classical music from the Baroque and Romantic periods.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=244rAAAAYAAJ&q=ebenezer+laing+ghana&pg=PA214|title=Programs of the Board on Science and Technology for International Development: Summary of Activities, 1970-78|last=Relations|first=National Research Council (U S. ) Commission on International|date=1978|publisher=National Academies|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117184930/https://books.google.com/books?id=244rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA214&dq=ebenezer+laing+ghana&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7n6qno4TVAhWJ6CYKHZi0CgEQ6AEILDAC#v=onepage&q=ebenezer%20laing%20ghana&f=false|archive-date=17 November 2017|df=dmy-all}} An aficionado of Ghanaian music, he also played the classical guitar and the Oboe. Laing was also an accomplished organist for the Christ Anglican Church, Legon. Laing played tennis and was a technology-savvy biologist, taking up computer programming in his old age as a hobby.
Death and legacy
He died in Accra on 19 April 2015 from natural causes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/services/2015/May-21st/emeritus-prof-ebenezer-laing.php|title=Emeritus Prof. Ebenezer Laing - MyJoyOnline.com|website=www.myjoyonline.com|access-date=2018-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811005707/http://www.myjoyonline.com/services/2015/May-21st/emeritus-prof-ebenezer-laing.php|archive-date=11 August 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} He was buried at the Osu Cemetery (previously known as Christiansborg Civil Cemetery) in Accra. The road behind the university’s department of botany was named in his honour.{{Cite web|title=Legon Losses Three Sons Of Timber And Calibre|url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/624663/legon-losses-three-sons-of-timber-and-calibre.html|access-date=2020-10-20|website=Modern Ghana|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=How to get to Ebenezer Laing Road in Accra by Bus|url=https://moovitapp.com/index/en/public_transit-Ebenezer_Laing_Road-Accra-street_13819993-5501|access-date=2021-09-02|website=moovitapp.com|language=en-GH}}{{Cite web|title=Driving directions to Ebenezer Laing Road, Ebenezer Laing Rd, Accra|url=https://www.waze.com/live-map/directions/ghana/greater-accra-region/accra/ebenezer-laing-road?to=place.Eh9FYmVuZXplciBMYWluZyBSZCwgQWNjcmEsIEdoYW5hIi4qLAoUChIJM839ZX2c3w8RDpk5VF9fRccSFAoSCXOnt7KEkN8PEdMtDmXYTtG-|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Waze|language=en}}
Awards and honours
- Honorary Doctor of Science (D. Sc.), University of Ghana, Legon
- Officer of the Order of the Volta, Government of Ghana
- Gold Medal, Distinguished Alumnus of Legon Hall
- Adisadel College Centenary Award - Distinguished Old Boy
Books
- An introduction to modern genetics (1971)
- Genetic Demonstrations: Instructor's Manual (1980); co-authored with Marian Ewurama Addy and Carol Markwei {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHzPAAAAMAAJ&q=A+Geneticist's+Apology:+Thoughts+on+Genetics+Teaching+and+Research|title=Science and society in Ghana|last=Laing|first=E.|date=1990|publisher=Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences|isbn=9789964969004|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117184930/https://books.google.com/books?id=dHzPAAAAMAAJ&q=A+Geneticist's+Apology:+Thoughts+on+Genetics+Teaching+and+Research&dq=A+Geneticist's+Apology:+Thoughts+on+Genetics+Teaching+and+Research&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi13NrJtITVAhWIMSYKHSU-DvcQ6AEIIjAA|archive-date=17 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}
- A Geneticist's Apology: Thoughts on Genetics Teaching and Research (1985)
- The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research retrospect and prospects (1988) {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-u-AAAAIAAJ&q=The+Council+for+Scientific+and+Industrial+Research+Retrospect+and+Prospects|title=The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research retrospect and prospects|last=Laing|first=E.|date=1988|publisher=The Council|isbn=9789964645366|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117184930/https://books.google.com/books?id=r-u-AAAAIAAJ&q=The+Council+for+Scientific+and+Industrial+Research+Retrospect+and+Prospects&dq=The+Council+for+Scientific+and+Industrial+Research+Retrospect+and+Prospects&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQz-H3tITVAhXKZiYKHTtQAysQ6AEIJjAA|archive-date=17 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}
- The New Biology: New Hope, New Threat Or New Dilemmas (1989) {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h17PAAAAMAAJ&q=The+New+Biology:+New+Hope,+New+Threat+Or+New+Dilemmas|title=The New Biology: New Hope, New Threat Or New Dilemmas|last=Laing|first=E.|date=1989|publisher=Ghana Universities Press|isbn=9789964301705|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117184930/https://books.google.com/books?id=h17PAAAAMAAJ&q=The+New+Biology:+New+Hope,+New+Threat+Or+New+Dilemmas&dq=The+New+Biology:+New+Hope,+New+Threat+Or+New+Dilemmas&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKjNHitITVAhXMJCYKHSVwA1wQ6AEIJjAA|archive-date=17 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}
- Science and society in Ghana (1990)
References
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Category:20th-century Ghanaian botanists
Category:Alumni of Achimota School
Category:Alumni of Adisadel College
Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Category:Alumni of the University of London
Category:University of Ghana alumni
Category:Academic staff of the University of Ghana