DAVIS HERBARIA SOCIETY LASTHENIA LASTHENIA, the Newsletter of CAMPAIGN UPDATE the Davis Botanical Society, is published by the Society in Plans for the herbarium’s new home Vegetable Crops & Weed Science collaboration with the staff of are making good progress. The Program in the College of Agricul- the UC Davis Herbarium and architects have nearly finished the tural & Environmental Sciences, and Botanical Conservatory. design of the Sciences Laboratory Dr. Debbie Delmer, chair of the Building that will house the new Section of Plant Biology in the OFFICERS facility, and the plans were ap- Division of Biological Sciences. President: Judy Jernstedt proved by the UC Board of Regents If members would like to Vice President: Art Shapiro at its July meeting. contribute to the fundraising Nearly $400,000 of the campaigns for either the herbarium Membership Vice President: Barry herbarium’s now $2.6 million goal or the conservatory, please call Jackie Meyers-Rice has been raised to date from a Schad at 530-754-9253. Secretary: Jean Shepard dozen contributors. Donors to the Treasurer: Elizabeth Bishay effort include local businessman J. Schad John Brinley, whose gift of securities Past President: Fred Hrusha valued at more than $10,000 was Members at Large: Evelyn Healy, received in December. Mr. Brinley is Ernesto Sandoval, Virginia a long-time supporter of the Boucher herbarium and the conservatory. Faculty and staff members have Student Member at Large: Jon Price also been stepping forward with Ex officio: Ellen Dean, Tim donations ranging from $10 to Metcalf, Jackie Schad, Kate $100,000. The Society particularly Mawdsley wishes to acknowledge the support Contributors: E. Dean, T. Metcalf, it has received from Dr. Arnold K. Mawdsley, E. Sandoval, J. Bloom, chair of the Department of Schad, G. L. Webster UC Davis Herbarium Section of Plant Biology One Shields Avenue University of California Davis, CA 95616 0942 8 No. 18 Fall 2001 LASTHENIA NEWSLETTER OF THE DAVIS BOTANICAL SOCIETY IN MEMORIAM, JUNE McCASKILL, DESIGNING THE 1930-2001 NEW BOTANY HERBARIUM ca. 1960, A Conversation with John M. Tucker Those of you who have been reading UC Davis publications in the past few months know that John Tucker, Director for nearly 40 years of the Botany Department Herbarium (now the J. M. Tucker Herbarium), generously donated $250,000 to the herbarium building June McCaskill in the campaign. I am in the process of then-new Herbarium, designing the new space for the ca. 1960. Herbarium, which will be housed in the Laboratory Sciences Building, and it has Many of us were saddened recently by took courses from and worked closely been challenging at times. Our current the death of June McCaskill, following a with the widely known plant taxonomist, space in Robbins Hall dates from 1960, sudden heart attack on May 9, 2001. Prof. Howard McMinn. June graduated in and it was designed by none other than Her career at the University of Califor- 1951 with a degree in Botany. John Tucker and June McCaskill. What nia, Davis, spanned more than 32 years. After graduation she had a summer challenges did John and June face in First joining the Botany Department in job at CalTech in 1951, working with designing a new herbarium? 1953, she retired in 1991 as Curator several renowned experimental plant John says that he and June com- Emerita of the UC Davis Herbaria. June physiologists. She then returned to Mills pleted the design for the Robbins Hall had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease to work for two more years, helping space in record time, although they had for about a year, and had moved to McMinn in the small teaching her- been dreaming and planning for several southern California to be close to her barium and the greenhouses, and years. They based their plans on the sister and brother. serving as an assistant to Dr. Lucile design of the UC Berkeley Herbarium, June was born in Altadena, Mason in the courses she taught. and there are some distinct similarities. California, June 2, 1930, and grew up in I first met June early in 1953 at the Those of you who remember the Pasadena, where her parents had California Botanical Society’s annual Berkeley Herbarium in the old Life established a small nursery. Her father dinner in Berkeley. She had come with continued on page 3 was adept at hybridizing camellias and McMinn, who knew I was looking for a developed a number of new cultivars. herbarium assistant. Both he and Lucile IN THIS ISSUE He named two of the most attractive for Mason had recommended June highly, his wife and for June: Camellia japonica and I was very favorably impressed after Billie McCaskill and C. japonica June this one meeting. So in due course June Directors’ Corner.............................. 2 McCaskill, respectively. Over the years was hired in the summer of 1953. Society Profile .................................. 2 the business thrived, and in time In preparation for the move to “McCaskill Gardens” became the largest Davis, she spent several days at the UC Jack Major, 1917-2001 ..................... 3 camellia nursery in southern California. Herbarium in Berkeley observing the Annual Meeting ................................ 5 After attending public school in whole operation of a major herbarium. Pasadena, June spent one year at She also learned the fine points of Walker Ridge Field Trip Report ....... 6 Pasadena City College, where she took a mounting specimens, working alongside Yolo County Bookshelves ................. 7 botany course. She opted to continue at the experts. This brief stint, coupled Mills College in Oakland, where she with the two years experience with Campaign Update............... Back page continued on page 4 1 DIRECTORS’ CORNER Conservatory gave botanical presentations and/or students to retired engineers, is busy Conservatory tours have dominated the terrarium building workshops to propagating choice specimens for the schedule this Winter and Spring with hundreds of students at Del Paso, and October 6 Arboretum Plant Faire. The 2,000 non-university visitors, from Fairbanks Elementary Scholars Acad- carnivorous plants and succulents being kindergarten to senior citizens and over emies and the Caesar Chavez Elemen- produced are particularly diverse and 700 University students on small, tary School Science Faire. alluring. interactive, group tours. Ruth Williams, Many Conservatory plants also Due to the threat of power outage an intern who is facilitator for the trekked across campus during winter and the resulting lethally high tempera- Students for Environmental Education and spring quarters to classes such as tures inside the greenhouses, Doug at Davis, coordinated the tours. The Introductory Plant Biology, Morphology researched and installed a device which excited student discussions as they leave and Evolution, Angiosperm Systematics, will phone the Conservatory staff as the conservatory and report of contin- California Floristics, and even a new soon as the electricity is off so we can ued understanding and appreciation course on herbs. respond immediately. Even after backup make the effort worthwhile. Off-site, The Wednesday night volunteers, a generation is installed, we will need to Intern April Levens, Ernesto, and Tim group which varies from seven to check the greenhouses to assure the seventeen individuals, junior high essential equipment is operating. The DBS Open House February 10 SOCIETY PROFILES Jackie Schad was well attended with a steady flow of animated people throughout the afternoon. Picnic Day crowds were exceptional. Seeing people turn away INTRODUCING JACKIE because of the congestion in spite of our SCHAD, DIRECTOR OF opening the south doors for easy traffic movement is a further motivation to DEVELOPMENT, DIVISION design a larger facility with multiple OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES loop paths. We would not have blueprints for a new Herbarium herbarium space in the Laboratory Sciences We wound up a very busy academic Building without the hard work of several year with record numbers of students people who took leadership roles early in the working in the herbarium. Beecher project planning stage. First, Tom Rost, Crampton’s father’s collections were Associate Dean of the Division of Biological finally mounted after nearly a century; Jackie Schad Sciences included the herbarium in the project Harold Olmo’s valuable Vitis collections in the first place. Second, Arnold Bloom, Chair collected in California, the New World of the Department of Vegetable Crops and Weed Science, with faculty tropics, and the Middle East were support, arranged for a key donation to our campaign last spring, allowing labeled after half a century; and us to stay in the project. Third, Elizabeth Bishay (whom we profiled in our interesting new weeds collected by Joe last issue of Lasthenia) was the first development director to give the DiTomaso were labeled and mounted project essential support. And fourth, Jackie Schad, current Director of after just a few months. Development of the Division of Biological Sciences has picked up the We were very lucky to have so challenge of raising funds for the project. Without the guidance of these much help in the herbarium this spring, four people, we would not have had the chance to build a new herbarium. with eight student mounters, one The main contact for those currently interested in the project, and the Graduate Student Assistant (Katie person who manages our fundraising campaign, is Jackie Schad, who has Borland), and four volunteers (Eva been Director of Development for the Division for the past two years. Many Bayon, Kook-Hyun Chung, Layne of you have met Jackie, as she holds an ex-officio position on the botanical Huiet, and Kate Mawdsley). Eva took it society board and has attended most of our events over the past two years, upon herself to refile our Ericameria including driving vans on some of our field trips. She is a delightful person according to the synonymy of the with a keen sense of humor.