W. F. Grant
-
Name
William F. Grant
-
Dates
20 Oct 1924 - 06 Oct 2011
-
Specialities
Spermatophytes
-
Roles
Collector, Author, Determiner
-
Movement Details
Canada, Malaysia
-
Notes
Collector Notes: Ontario; MTMG
Not referenced at data migration
WILLIAM FREDERICK GRANT
B.A. (McM), M.A. (McM), Ph.D. (Virginia), D.Sc. (Hon. McM),
F.A.A.A., F.L.S, F.R.S.C.
1924 - 2011
Emeritus Professor William Frederick Grant will be remembered for
his cumulative and distinguished research, teaching and administrational
contributions to the advancement of Canadian and international Botany and
Genetics. Born in Hamilton, Ontario on 20 October 1924, he received his BA
and MA degrees from McMaster University in 1947 and 1949, respectively,
and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Virginia in 1953. In 2000,
McMaster University awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Science
for his outstanding contributions in "plant cytogenetics, biosystematics and
mutagenesis."
He died on 6th October, 2011 at the Montreal Chest Institute of the McGill
University Health Centre from Congestive Heart Failure.
After two years with the Department of Agriculture in Malaysia under
the Colombo Plan (Department of External Affairs, Ottawa), he joined the
Department of Genetics at McGill University and rose through the ranks to
Professor in 1967. Through his studies in environmental mutagenesis he
was appointed an Adjunct Professor at York University (1983-1991) where he
supervised studies under an Ontario Ministry of the Environment grant. In 1990,
he was appointed an Emeritus Professor by McGill University.
He pursued several lines of research under the broad discipline of Plant
Genetics. He was a pioneer on the use of higher plant species for monitoring and
testing for mutagenic effects of environmental pollutants. In 1985, the Institute for
Scientific Information listed a paper coauthored with one of his students as one of the
10 most cited articles in the Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology. He was the
only Canadian to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Plant Gene-
Tox Program, and the International Program on Chemical Safety's Collaborative Study
on Higher Plant Systems sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program and
the World Health Organization. He was a Member of the Environmental Contaminants
Advisory Committee on Mutagenesis to the Minister, Department of National Health and
Welfare, and the Minister, Department of the Environment, Ottawa. He advocated that
regulatory authorities accept plant genetic systems as an alternative first-tier assay
system for the detection of putative genetic damage resulting from environmental
pollution or industrial activity.
He was the world's leading authority on the cytogenetics of the genus
Lotus. In addition, he carried out systematic and genetic studies in a number
of plant genera (Amaranthus, Betula, Celosia, Lotus, Impatiens, Manihot) using
cytological, cytophotometric, chromatographic and molecular techniques. These
studies led him as the only Canadian to be asked to participate in a Nobel
Symposium “Chemistry in Botanical Classification” in Sweden. His studies
on Betula helped clarify the relationships of the birches in Canada. For the
International Development Research Centre, he showed that mosaic virus
resistant plants of Manihot esculentum could be distinguished from susceptible
plants.
Some of his recognition's are as follow: Invited by his Alma Mater to give
the 1980 Distinguished Alumni Lecture at McMaster University; Awarded Senior
Fellowships by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Lecture Tours
in Japan, both in 1984 and 1989; Recipient of the Governor General's Silver Medal
commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Accession of Her Majesty to the Throne
(1977); Chair of a joint Committee on Chemotaxonomy of the International Union of
Pure and Applied Chemistry and the International Association of Plant Taxonomists;
Chair of the Steering Committee of the International Program on Chemical Safety's
Collaborative Study on Short-Term Tests for Genotoxicity and Carcinogenicity, a
cooperative venture of the World Health Organization, the International Labour
Organization and the United Nations Environment Program on plant systems to detect
genetic effects of environmental chemicals.
In 1979, he was awarded Life Membership in the Genetics Society of
Canada. In 1984, he edited and published "Plant Biosystematics" (Academic
Press), the proceedings of an international symposium, which he held at
McGill University. In 1989, he was awarded the first Life Membership of the
International Organization of Plant Biosystematists (IOPB) and was presented
with a certificate by the Chairman of the IOPB Organizing Committee, "in
appreciation of the many years spent in developing the International
Organization of Plant Biosystematics . . .".
In 1989 at the headquarters in Tokyo of the Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science (JSPS), he was presented with a tie bearing the initials
JSPS in recognition of the cooperation and assistance he gave to Japanese
cytogeneticists and biosystematists.
He was elected Vice-President I of the Society for the Study of Evolution,
elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, Fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science and in 1989 elected Fellow of the Royal Society of
Canada. In 1989, the Canadian Botanical Association in "recognition of the cumulative,
distinguished contributions of a senior investigator whose influence has contributed
notably to the advancement of Canadian botany awarded him the George Lawson
Medal. In 1990 he was awarded the McMaster University Distinguished Alumni/
Alumnae Scholar Award for outstanding scholarship and research contributions. In
1991, the President of the Genetics Society of Canada awarded him the Presidential
Citation for his many contributions to the Society. In 1996, he was inducted into
the McMaster University Alumni Gallery. In 2004 for his many contributions to the
Genetics Society of Canada, the prestigious Genetics Society of Canada Award of
Excellence was named for him. At the 50th Annual Meeting of the Genetics Society
of Canada, Montreal, 2007, he was presented with a "Lifetime Achievement Award”
for his scientific contributions and service to the Genetics Society of Canada and in
2006, was appointed Emeritus Member of the Botanical Society of America and at their
75th Anniversary, was inducted into Hamilton’s Westdale Secondary School’s Wall of
Distinction.
He was Past President of the Genetics Society of Canada; Past
Treasurer of the Biological Council of Canada; Past President of the McGill
University Branch of Sigma Xi; Past President of the Macdonald Campus of
McGill University Branch of the Agricultural Institute of Canada; Past President
of the International Organization of Plant Biosystematists; Past Editor of the
Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology and the Lotus Newsletter and
Honorary Editor of the journal Plant Species Biology.
As an Emeritus Professor, he continued to be active in the International
Program on Plant Genetic Bioassays for Monitoring and Testing Environmental
Pollutants in the global environment. In 1995, he was a Co-Director of a
Workshop sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program, "The Use of
Higher Plant Mutagen Bioassays for the Protection of the Global Environment"
held at Qingdao, China, and edited the proceedings for a special issue of the
journal Mutation Research. He continued as Co-Director of the International
Program on Plant Genetic Bioassays.
Serving as Archivist for the Genetics Society of Canada, he wrote up the
history of the Society since its inception in 1956. He wrote reviews on phylogeny
and evolution of the legume Lotus and on higher plant assays (Crepis, Pisum,
Zea) for the detection of genetic changes in polluted environments.
He was instrumental in training a large number of graduate students
who continue to hold teaching and research positions around the world and for
whom he will be remembered. The genetic community and Canada have lost a
distinguished academic. -
Collections