W. J. Cody
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Name
William J. Cody
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Dates
1922 -
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Specialities
Pteridophytes, Spermatophytes
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Roles
Collector, Author, Determiner
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Movement Details
Canada, United States of America
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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
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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