in addition to his work in ichthyology, bean was a forester, a fish culturist, a conservationist, an editor, an administrator, and an exhibitor. growing up along the susquehanna river in southern pennsylvania, he presumably had an early introduction to fishes. his initial interest, however, was botany, perhaps stimulated by his acquaintance with joseph trimble rothrock, a physician-scientist who had a medical practice in wilkes-barre, but also had taught botany at pennsylvania state college.