Eugene Odum helped found the Savannah River Ecology Lab set up by the Atomic Energy Commission in 1951. He and his brother wrote the first ecology textbook in 1953, and it was the only one in use for a decade. He promoted the need for research into interlocking systems of living organisms and the environment - the “total house” of ecology.
Short biographic clip around 3 minutes: Georgia Groundbreakers: Eugene Odum - YouTube