WILLIAM DEAN REESE (1928-2002)

4 Pages·2003·2.2 MB·English

by  Ronald A Pursell

1
DEAN
WILLIAM REESE
(1928-2002)
LRedfeam
Ronald Paul
A. Pursell
Department of Biology Biology Department, Box 148
Southwest
Missouri State University
The Pennsylvania State University
MO
70504-0095
Park PA 6802-530 Springfield
University
1
many
members
William Dean family and his friends, died, age
Reese, to
'Bill'
with cancer
on 4 February 2002 in Lafayette, Louisiana after a short battle
73,
was born in Baltimore, Maryland on 10 September 1928. His formative
Bill
on and he always considered himself a
years were spent a dairy farm, as a result
on farm had
'farm boy Perhaps as a result of his experiences the Bill a
at heart.'
approach and an unquenchable appreciation for nature. This
practical to
life
view on children and grand-
view never left him. Bill strived to pass this to his
would
and grandchildren never experi-
children. Realizing that his children
ence the joys of farm he decided to record memories of his years on the farm,
life
These memories were privately published in 1997 as
primarily their benefit.
for
Farm Gwynnhrook, Maryland,
Lone Hickory. Reminiscences from the Reese at
m
made
with
corrections 1998.
1930s-1940s,
enrolled in the University of Maryland in 1945, but his undergraduate
Bill
m
Army. 1946^48,
were interrupted by two tours the United States In as
studies
member was between
a of the Signal Corps, he stationed in the Philippines;
cooking (and
1950-51 he was a cook in Fort Hood, Texas. Bill's great love of eat-
was
good food was perhaps initiated by this experience. In 1953 Bill gradu-
ing!)
was
ated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Botany. It during his
was one
bryophytes piqued. In of
undergraduate studies that interest in
Bill's
observed the release of living
his biological science laboratories Bill
second
antherozoids from moss antheridia, an observation that led to his
On
hryophyte antherozoids (Bryologist
bryological publication. ohscrving
1953 began graduate studies in bryology at
58:335-336. 1955). In the Fall of Bill
University under Dr Ruth Breen, graduating with an M.S. in
Florida State
S.
m m
Botany in 1955 and a Ph.D. Botany 1957.
Upon was and accepted an appointment as Assis-
graduation, offered
Bill
(now The
The Southwestern Louisiana
tant Professor of Biology at University of
He remained university through-
University of Louisiana at Lafayette). at this
and
advancing Associate Professor (1962)
out his 30-year professional career, to
was an outstanding teacher and served as primary advisor
Professor (1966). Bill
named
graduate students. In 1970 he was University of Southwest Louisi-
to 11

Upon
ana Foundation Distinguished Professor. his retirement in 1987 the Uni-
versity appointed him EdwinL. Stephens Honor Professor Emeritus, an appoint-
ment
he held until his death. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Bill
served the University and Biology Department as an able administrator: Chair-
man
Department and Department Head
of the Biology (1974-77) (1981-86).
Bill was a towering figure in American bryology. His primary interest cen-
tered on the tropical/subtropical family Calymperaceae. His studies on this
family began with his Ph.D. dissertation and continued for the remainder of
his Never tiring of these mosses, he delved into their systematics and phy-
life.
and morphology
logeny, the evolution functional of their asexual reproduction,
and the evolution of their niche specificity. At his death he left an incomplete
manuscript, Calymperaceae: Calymperes, Mitthyridium and
Fertility in
was
Syrrhopodon. interest in bryology, however, not limited to the
Bill's
Calymeraceae. He was also a superb loristic bryologist with particular inter-
f
est in the mosses of the southern United States. His book Mossesofthe Gulf Coast,
which treats the species from the Rio Grande (southern Texas) to the Apalachicola
work
River (western Florida), the standard loristic for that region.
is f
Throughout had
his career. Bill a total of 154 bryological publications.
was consummate Although
Bill a botanist. his principal interests lay in
was an acknowledged on taxonomy
bryology. authority the of vascular
Bill
many
He showing
plants. took great delight in visitors the interesting native
flowering plants he had transplanted around his home. His professional inter-
est in vascular plants led to the publication of several papers as well as the book
Acadiana Flora. Native and Naturalized Woody Plants South-Central Loui-
of
siana, completed with his long-time colleague at the university, Garrie Landry.
At the time of his death he was working on another book., Mamou: Acadian
Folklore, Natural History, and Botany Erythrina herhacea L, with Charles
of
Allen, a former graduate student. Away from botany, he had considerable knowl-
edge of fungi, particularly the basidiomycetes, and was an avid ornithologist,
many
delighting in pointing out to visitors the spectacular birds native to south-
ern Louisiana.
and a colleague, John Thieret, were the (and only) botanists to com-
Bill first
plete an exhaustive survey of the vascular flora of the five 'salt domes' [Bell Is-
Weeks
land, Cote Blanche Island (accessible only by boat). Island, Avery Island,
and Jefferson Island] located along the Louisiana coast. The results of this sur-
was
vey were published as Botanical Study of the Five Islands of Louisiana. Bill
immensely proud exploratory work and continued
of his part in this to revisit
was
the accessible areas long after the survey completed.
Bill found great enjoyment in field work. Collecting specimens of bryo-
phytes and vascular plants was one of his great pleasures and greatly enhanced
North America he
his research. In addition to collecting extensively in also par-
m
Amazon
ticipated expeditions to Mexico, the Basin in South America, the
West and China. His recorded specimen
Indies, Australia, earliest collection, a
was made August
of Quercusfa Icata Michx., just outside Tallahassee, Flordia in
1955, and his last identified collection (Reese 18,5931 Pseudokskedla tectorum
New
Kmdb., was made Otero County, Mexico on June 2000. These
(Brid.) in 15
MO
now
collections (numbering about 35,000 specimens) are in and are avail-
able for study. Eventually the collections will be intercalated in the Crosby Bryo-
phyte Herbarium (MO). Record books and journals are also on MO.
file at
and had with
patience
little
I
and com-
iragement
insightful
turned by one could be certain that was considerably improved, regard-
Bill
it
how many
less of times had been edited previously Bill was twice Editor of
it
The and The
Bryologist (1970-74; 1988-1995), Associate Editor of Bryologist
(1977-1980), and an editor for and an unwavering supporter of the Bryophyte
Flora ojNorth America project, for which before his death he completed manu-
scripts in the Brachytheciaceae, Calymperaceae, Cryphaeaceae, Hypnaceae,
Leucodontaceae, Leucophanaceae, Meteoriaceae, Pterobryaceae, Ptychomitriaceae,
and
Racopilaceae, Splachnobryaceae.
The American and
Bill served Bryological Lichenological Society as Secre-
tary-Treasurer (1969-1970), Vice-President (1977-1979), and President (1979-
member
was American Ad-
1981). In addition, Bill a of the Association for the
vancement
of Science, Association of Southeastern Biologists, British Bryological
Society, International Association of Bryologists, International Association for
Taxonomy,
Plant Nordisk Bryologisk Forening, Sociedad Latinamericano de
member
Sigma and Hedwigian
Briologia, Society of the Xi, a charter of the So-
was
ciety (Missouri Botanical Garden). In 1988 he appointed a Research Asso-
ciate by the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Bill survived by his wife, Lorelle, two daughters, Jean Harvill and Chris-
is
tine Proctor, twin sons, David and William, and five grandsons.
Bryology has lost one of pre-eminent students, his family a loving and
its
wonderful husband, and and who knew him
father grandfather, those of us well,
and
a faithful loyal friend.
The 2002
tribute to Bill published in Bryologist 105(4):625-634. [2003] in-
cludes a Hst of taxa associated with and a bibUography of his botanical
Bill,