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Ed Ketchledge, a longtime educator and the man whose research on Adirondack alpine vegetation led to it being protected, died Wednesday at the age of 85.

Ketchledge taught at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry from 1955 to 1985, passing his knowledge on to thousands of students. One of those was Dan Spada, who works with the state Adirondack Park Agency as a supervisor in the natural resources division. Spada was a graduate student in Ketchledge's final years and recalled the importantance of the work Ketchledge did on alpine zone.

"He really did seminal work on alpine zone identification and protection and restoration," Spada said. "Before Ed Ketchledge, we didn't even know the words 'alpine zone' in New York state. After Ketchledge, we did realize we had remnants of alpine zones, that they were extremely vulnerable, and that they were being impacted. And after Ed Ketchledge, we also got the first leg up on how to restore those systems."

The High Peaks Summit Steward program that exists today is a result of Ketchledge's research that started in the 1960s. The nature of the program is also a reflection of Ketchledge's personality, according to those who knew him. The stewards aren't police but instead stand atop the mountains such as Mount Marcy and Algonquin Peak, protecting the rare vegetation by educating hikers about it.

Spada said Ketchledge was a very ethical person and a great communicator, dedicated to helping educate his students and the public. Spada said he believes that sense of public service was instilled in Ketchledge during World War II, when he was seriously injured on the battlefield.

"From what he told me, a lot of what formed him came from the fact that he was wounded. And that in his wounding, the medic who came to save him, to treat him on the field during battle, was killed in that attempt," Spada said. "He saved Ed Ketchledge's life, and then he was killed moving on to other wounded victims. I know that made a great impression on Ed's life and really pushed him toward service towards others, and his way of service was education."

For his military service in the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, Ketchledge was a decorated with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

After the military, Ketchledge finished up his own education and then became a professor, a role he cherished.

"First and foremost, he valued his role as an educator and touching the minds of young students," his daughter Joan Kogut said. "He thought that was the most important thing anyone could do and really valued the time he had with each and every student over the years. He never got tired of it. He never went into a rut about it. Each year, with new students, was a new adventure for him."

Ketchledge was also well-rounded outdoorsman whose interests ranged from paddling to Olympic sports.

"He was a bobsledder," said Wilmington ecologist Ray Curran, another former student. "He had interest in being an Olympian himself."

Curran recalled that when Ketchledge moved to Bloomingdale after retiring, he built a bobsled run in his yard that local children used.

Kogut came upon a quote from her father that summed up the way he felt about life.

"The proverbial bottom line for me is the simple truth that a man is not in full command of life if he cannot at least one day each week go fishing in his canoe, or go cross-country skiing, or go exploring a new mountain," Ketchledge wrote in 1989 in his notes.

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Contact Mike Lynch 891-2600 ext. 28 or mlynch@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.