A BIOGRAPHY OF DR. KEITH L.
HANSEN
Dr. Keith L. Hansen has long been
associated with Stetson University. Following a two-year stint
in the U.S. Army, Keith attended Stetson University,
graduating cum laude with the Class of 1949, with a Bachelor
of Science in biology. He received his master’s degree from
Stetson the following year, and earned his Ph.D. from the
University of Florida in 1955. He served on the Stetson
faculty for 33 years, retiring from full-time teaching as
Professor of Biology in 1988. For the next 10 years, he held
the post of Research Professor of Biology at Stetson.
During his tenure at Stetson, Keith
played a significant role in the growth and development of the
biology program. He was instrumental in bringing in several
generous gifts to Stetson and wrote two National Science
Foundation Undergraduate Scientific Equipment Grant proposals
that also resulted in gifts to the University. He initiated
the Medical Technology program in 1961 and introduced several
new courses including Invertebrate Zoology, General Ecology,
Radiation Biology, Aquatic Biology, and Man in the Biological
Community. He also participated in six Winter Term Ecological
Expeditions—four to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, one
to Costa Rica, and one to Australia.
Through the years, Keith has been a
member of numerous professional societies including the Nature
Conservancy, the Ecological Society of America, the American
Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology, the National Wildlife
Federation, Sigma Xi, and Florida Defenders of the
Environment. He has held leadership roles in the Florida
Academy of Sciences, the Environmental Council of Volusia and
Flagler Counties, and the Environmental and Natural Resources
Advisory Committee of Volusia County.
Twelve of his works have been published
in national and regional scientific journals. He has twice
been the recipient of the Phipps and Bird Award for best
article of the year in the Quarterly Journal of the Florida
Academy of Sciences. Keith has received numerous other
honors and awards. In 1971, he was inducted in Omicron Delta
Kappa national leadership society, and in 1980, he was named
the Outstanding Conservationist of Volusia County. He has also
been listed in Who’s Who in Florida, 1974, American Men
and Women of Science, 1982, and Who’s Who in American
Education, 1988. In addition, in 1988, he was nominated
for the Florida Academy of Sciences Medal, an organization in
which he has been actively involved.
An environmental conservationist, Keith
served as Assistant Chairman of the Save Our Springs
Committee and was instrumental in the DeLeon Springs purchase,
in the early 1980s, by Florida’s Conservation and
Recreational Lands (CARL) Program. He has also been involved
in performing ecological analyses and assessments of property
on Johns Island, Spruce Creek, the Tomoka River, the Tomoka
River Islands, and the Fairchild Oak-Halifax Plantation. In
addition, he has been involved in the preservation of DeBary
Bayou, Callalisa Creek, and Lake Maggiore Park, and has helped
plan several nature centers and youth parks.
Keith and his wife, Genevieve
"Jenny," reside in DeLand and are actively involved
with Stetson University. Keith’s two daughters are both
Stetson graduates. Cynthia Hansen Cara received her Bachelor
of Music Education in 1979. Kimberly Hansen Finn graduated
with a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education in 1991, and
received her Masters in Education in 1995. Jenny’s daughter
and son, Jennifer Evans Lightfoot and Michael T. Evans, also
graduated from Stetson. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in
Elementary Education in 1986. Michael, a 1988 graduate,
received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.
