Orbituary - Dr. William Henry Brown
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Part of The Marsman Magazine
- Title
- Orbituary - Dr. William Henry Brown
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1939
- Rights
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- Fulltext
- DR. WILLIAM HENRY BROWN The death of Dr. William Henry Brown early in November in Baltimore, Maryland, was a tragic shock to his many friends in Manila. One of the early pioneers who had a prominent part in laying the foundation of scientific research in the Philippines, Dr. Brown won world-wide fame for his scientific writings, devoted mostly to to Philippine plants and forests. He had many close friends in the Marsman organization. His wife, the former Mary Angus Blythe, is a niece of Mrs. Marsman. Dr. Brown himself became interested in the mining industry in recent years, and for some time served as director of the San Mauricio Mining Company, and of Marsman and Company, Inc. Dr. Brown first came to the Philippines in 1911 as a plant physiologist for the bureau of science. He lived here continuously until early in 1938, when he left to accept an appointment as he~d of the botany department of John flopkins University at Baltimore, 6 Mary land. He retired from the Philippine government in 1933. Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1884, he received his bachelor of s~ience degree from Richmond College in 1906 and his Ph. D. from John Hopkins in 1910. Before coming to the Philip~ pines, he was scientific assistant at the U. S. Laboratory at Beaufort, North Caroline; graduate assistant, fellow and later Bruce fellow of John Hopkins; engaged in botanical ·~~ tigations in Jamaica in 1910; assi~tant 1. of the Desert Laboratory of Carnegie · Institution and of the Michigan Agricultural College. A year after he received his doctor's degree from John Hopkins University, he came out as plant physiologist with the bureau of science, a position he filled until 1923. From 1915 to 192·4 he was also associate professor, later professor and head of the botany department of the University of the Philippines. For two years, from 1918 to 1920 he was at the same time chief of the division of investigation of the bureau of forestry. He became director Qf science in 1924, continuing in this capacity until he retired on Nov. 30 1933. ' His scientific writings, devoted mostly to Philippine plants ·and forests, have been bound into 22 volumes. Possibly more than any one man he has contributed to the knowledge of Philippine flora. He has published numerous botanical articles in the Philippine Journal of Science, which he edited from 1924 until his retirement as director of science. Among his better known works, many of which are used as textbooks throughout the Philippines and at the Unive:tsity of the Philippines, are VegetatiOil of Philippine Mountains, a three-volume work on Minor Products of Philippine Forests, A textbook of Botany, Laboratory Manual of Botany, General Science for Philippine Schools, Health Through Knowledge and Habits, Thei Plant Kingdom and Philippine Dipterocarp Forests. From his retirement until his deparTHE MARSMAN MAGAZINE /or November, 1939 ture for the United States early in 1938, he labored on a three-volume work entitled "Useful Plants of the Philippines," the first volume of which is now in press. He became interested in mining during the period from 1936 to 1938, and for some time served as director of the San Mauricio Mining Company and of Marsman and Company, Inc. He was president of the Philippine Research Institute, and a member of a :r.umber of scientific organizations, including the Botaniical Society of ~.._iile{ica, Ecological Society of America, American Meteorological Society, Phi Gamma Delta, Gamma Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa. In Manila he was a member of University Club, Rotary Club, Manila Polo Club and the Elks Club. Dr. Brown married in Manila on June 3, 1927, his wife being Mary Angus Blythe, a niece of Mrs. J. H. Marsman. He had two sons, William Angus, 11, and Charles Blythe, 12. Dr. A. S. Arguelles, director of science and successor of Dr. Brown in the bureau, declared that "the unex(Please turn to page 17) CloseBamaa Belaliouhips -falat bet1Hen this hnk and the people ol this Communit11. THERE ue no clMdlng Hnea between the interests and welfare of W. bank ancl Che Interests and welfare of Its neighbors, whether or not tb91 are cutomen. Our depeaiton wbe entnlat their funds to our keepln1 represeat a broad aTerage of the men and women of the Commllllfty. Oar bor· rowers are men and women engaged In active busille88 enterprises which, we feel, entitle them to the ue of the bok'• credit resources created with the aid of our depositors' m.one7. Th.ls bank, u a center of the tlnancial In· terest& of theae men and women, makes poadble interchaqe of practical belpful.neu. PEOPLES BANK AND TRUST COl\IPANY Manila, Philippines Four Provincial Branches at your Service Baguio, Mountain Province Tarlac, Tarlac-San Pablo, Laguna SanFernando,Pampanga THE MARSMAN MAGAZINE for November, 1939 7 WITH THE MARSMAN MEN R. J. Veth, of the Padang office of Veth Brothers, accompanied by Mrs. Veth, visited Manila and the Paracale district in November. Veth Brothers, a very old and well established firm, has interest in Marsman Algemeene Exploratie Maatschappij, mining company engaged in exploration in the Netherlands East Indies, and Mr. Veth's trip to the Philippines was on business for the firm. Mr. Veth was much impressed by the Marsman operations in the Paracale district, and stated that the contented ~rid prosperous condition of the workers at the mines was particularly interesting. Mr. and Mrs. Veth left for Padang on November 24, on the Tjitjalengka. Word was received in Manila in November, of the death in Chile, South America, of Warren Gilkison, formerly general superintendent of the Itogon Mining Company in Baguio. The cause of death was not reported. Mr. Gilkison left the Philippines last February to accept an executive position with a tin mine in Bolivia; unsettled conditions in that country induced him to resign a few weeks ago, and it is believed that he was on his way back to the United States at the time of his death. He came to the Philippines in April 1936, as mine superintendent for Itogon, and was promoted to the general superintendency in November, 1936. He resigned earlv this year to go to Bolivia. Mrs. Gilkison and two children accompanied him to the Unifod States, and are now in Denver, Colorado. DR. WILLIAM HENRY • • • (Continued from page 7) pected death of Dr. Brown is a shock to1 many of his colleagues in the Philippines." He said that when he saw Dr. Brown last January in Baltimore, he seemed to be in excellent health. "With his death the Philippines lost one of the early pioneers who have THE MARSMAN MAGAZINE for November, 1939 Mr. Gilkison was recognized as one of the outstanding mining men in the Philippines, and he and his family had a wide circle of friends in Baguio, Manila, and Paracale. William V. Ward arrived in Manila early in November to become assistant to Mr. Dankwerth. Mr. Ward, whose home was in San Francisco, was on the staff of the American Trust Company there. Mr. and Mrs. J. C. J. Dunn and two children returned October 30th from a six-month vacation in the States and Scotland. Mr. Dunn, formerly of Pa ... racale, is now in the accounting department of the Manila office. A. R. Olney left on November 3 for Sumatra to assist W. R. Mester at the Hoogenboezem Placer Project at Atjeh. After spending several months in Burma, J. D. Ross, geologist of Marsman & Company is now at the Hoogenboezem Placer Project at Atjeh, Sumatra. Dean Schedler, who was acting editor of the Marsman Magazine for the past six months, is now assistant sales manager of Sears International, and makes his headquarters at the Escolta sfore of that unit in Manila. A. M. Dixon, who returned in October from a vacation trip around the world with Mrs. Dixon, is now stationed at San Mauricio. helped lay the foundation of scientific research in this country,'' Dr. Argue ... lies declared. "He was an excellent teacher as well as investigator and scientist. His untimely passing is a distinct loss to the Philippines and to the scientific world. His numerous scientific papers will long be remembered and be an inspiration to those who follow." 17