W. J. Cody

  • Name

    William J. Cody

  • Dates

    1922 -

  • Specialities

    Pteridophytes, Spermatophytes

  • Roles

    Collector, Author, Determiner

  • Movement Details

    Canada, United States of America

  • Notes

    Collector Notes: Canada (Quebec, Ontario, N. Canada), United States of America (Alaska) DAO, E (6600), GB (90), GH, MO, US (122)
    Author Notes: DAO
    ------------------
    From Flora of North America Newsletter 23(1): 9-10. 2009

    ObITuARIES
    William James (Bill) Cody
    1922 – 2009
    With the passing of Bill Cody on March 23,
    2009, following a stroke, we have lost a wonderful friend, a very valuable research colleague, and
    an outstanding Canadian. Although he had suffered
    some loss of memory over the few years prior to his
    death, Bill was always very happy to be with his
    friends. His predictably pleasant disposition, which
    frequently inspired him to sing or to tell a joke, was
    something about him that we will never forget. Bill is
    known around the world for his work on boreal flora
    and as curator of the largest dried plant collection in
    Canada (DAO) from 1959 – 1988. He was an exceptional public servant with 41 years of paid service,
    retiring in 1987, and an additional 21 years of voluntary service as an Honorary Research Associate.
    Bill was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on December
    2, 1922. His father was a doctor and his mother a
    nurse at Hamilton General Hospital. He grew up in
    Hamilton and it was here that he worked as a young
    man and made his first botanical collections, which
    are now in the Royal Botanical Gardens, where he
    worked under the supervision of Dr. Lulu Gaiser. He
    received his B.A. from McMaster University in 1946
    joining Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC),
    then simply “the Department of Agriculture,” the
    same year. Bill married Lois Jean Wright in 1950
    (deceased March 1997). They had five children, David,
    Margaret, Leslie, Douglas, and Gordon. His family
    was always a major focus, and many of Bill’s closest
    friends find inspiration in the way he put his life
    together.
    In 1967 and 21 years after starting with AAFC,
    Bill was made a Research Scientist. This classification
    was generally reserved for people who had a Ph.D.,
    but Bill’s outstanding accomplishments at that time
    were judged by his colleagues and the science arm of
    the federal civil service to warrant treatment at the
    Ph.D. level. Federal Departments do not confer degrees,
    only universities do that, and his university
    (McMaster) was sufficiently impressed with his
    achievements after 38 years as a scientist, that they
    made him Dr. Bill Cody honoris causa (for the sake of
    honor) in 2006.
    To the botanical community Bill is best known for
    his many scientific papers and books concerning the
    flora of northern Canada and as the curator of the
    herbarium. However, he published the results of phytogeographic studies in many other parts of Canada
    and was also an expert on ferns, as illustrated by many
    articles and his books: “Plants of Riding Mountain
    National Park,” “Ferns of the Ottawa District,” and
    “Ferns of Canada.” His research publications, reports
    and reviews number over 346. He reviewed and
    proof-read hundreds of articles, and made an important contribution as a regional reviewer for the Flora
    of North America series. He collected 40,000 specimens
    and identified and processed the same number.
    Perhaps the most important of Bill’s publications,
    with respect to the Flora of North America, were his
    two books: Vascular Plants of the Continental
    Northwest Territories, Canada, co-authored with
    A.E. Porsild, and Flora of the Yukon Territory. These
    texts, with information on distribution, ecology, and
    classification, were essential, not only as a basis for
    the protection of plant biodiversity, but also for biological research and ongoing work relating to forestry,
    sustainable resource management, and wildlife management in the north. They have become invaluable

  • Collections

    Botanical Collections