Dr. Alice L. Kibbe (1881 - 1969), botanist, was Professor and Chair of Biology at Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois from 1920 to 1956. She was noted in the region as a natural historian, philanthropist, and traveler, and for her role as an early female academic leader. Upon the relocation of Carthage College in 1964, Dr. Kibbe returned to her native state of Washington, dedicating much of her local property to public use. Her donation of a wooded tract on the Mississippi River near Warsaw, Illinois formed the core of the 7 square kilometres. Alice L. Kibbe Life Science Research Station. Dr. Kibbe's extensive personal natural history collections are presently housed in the Carthage Kibbe Heritage Museum in Carthage.