Frederick William Gray

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Rev. Frederick William Gray
Born1878
Anson County, North Carolina
Died9 March 1960 (age 82)
Washington, D.C.
Nationality American
Alma mater Catawba College
Union Theological Seminary
Scientific career
Fields Botany
Author abbrev. (botany) F.W.Gray

Frederick William Gray was an American pastor, horticulturalist, and botanist. He was known for his work in the cultivation of Gladiolus and for his expertise in the flora of West Virginia.

Contents

Biography

Gray was born in Anson County, North Carolina, in 1878. He attained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Catawba College in 1905, before attending Union Theological Seminary to earn his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1908. After his graduation, Gray became a minister of the Presbyterian Church. [1]

Gray worked as a pastor around West Virginia, Virginia, and Missouri. He was bestowed an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Davis and Elkins College in 1929. In 1932, he settled in Barbour County, West Virginia. [1]

Gray was a founding member of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club in 1935. [2] He gained a reputation in the field of horticulture through the hybridization and cultivation Gladiolus flowers. He was also a keen plant collector, contributing thousands of specimens to regional herbaria. Gray himself studied plants, and published descriptive scientific articles on varieties and forms he discovered. [1]

Gray retired to Riverside, Maryland. He died in Washington, D.C. on 9 March 1960 at the age of 82. He had a daughter [3] and two sons. [4]

Legacy

Approximately 24,000 specimens collected by Gray are housed at the University of West Virginia. [1] The herbarium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also maintains a small collection of Gray's specimens. [5]

The standard author abbreviation F.W.Gray is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Strausbaugh, P. D. (December 1960). "Rev. Fred W. Gray". Castanea. 25 (4). The Southern Appalachian Botanical Society. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  2. ↑ Baranski, Michael J. (December 1986). "Fifty Years of Southern Appalachian Botany — A Profile of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club" (PDF). Castanea. 51 (4): 247–262. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  3. ↑ Ranger, Sterling (15 March 1960). "Minister Dies". Hinton Daily News. p. 2. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  4. ↑ Patterson, Paul M.; Armitage, Eleonora (1939). "The Sullivant Moss Society's 1939 Foray" . The Bryologist. 42 (5): 125–128. doi:10.2307/3239830. ISSN   0007-2745. JSTOR   3239830 . Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  5. ↑ McCormick, Carol Ann (29 August 2020). "Frederick William Gray". North Carolina Botanical Garden. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. ↑ International Plant Names Index. F.W.Gray.
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