A Tribute to George Wayne Douglas 1938 - 2005

Abstract

Coming from humble beginnings, George Wayne Douglas, with his determination and strong spirit, established himself as one of British Columbia’s most respected botanists. I first met George in 1995 when I began working with him at the British Columbia Conservation Data Centre (CDC). In time, I came to know him as an adept field botanist, a knowledgeable ecologist, an accomplished author, a practical taxonomist, a cunning businessman, a conservationist at heart, and a generous mentor. During our numerous field trips, George often talked about writing his memoirs and enjoyed recounting the stories and adventures that would go into the chapters. He had a lot of different experiences throughout his life that would have resulted in an interesting read. He was a born leader: he had a strong character, held his ground on issues, and had a critical, but practical approach. George had a vision for botany in British Columbia and he brought that vision to fruition. George (known to family and close friends as Wayne) was born in the Royal Columbian hospital in New Westminster on 22 June 1938. He spent his early years exploring the bushes around the base of Burnaby Mountain near Vancouver, British Columbia, this may have been the root of his inspiration to study botany and ecology later in his life. He grew up in a large family with six brothers and sisters: Bonnie, Marilyn, and David who currently live in British Columbia, and Robert, who lives in South Africa (siblings David Charles and Judy predeceased him). His family was not affluent, so George always aspired to do well for himself, which he certainly accomplished. As a youth, he excelled at sports but wasn’t that interested in academics. In high school (Figure 1), he ran record sprints and was an excellent basketball player, as well as an accomplished golfer. He would continue to enjoy golfing throughout his life, playing at least two to three times a week. When he first started, at about 12 years of age, he used to sneak onto the Vancouver Golf Course, and golf his way to school, hide his clubs and then golf his way home after school. Later he was on the high school golfing team and was an amateur champion. He always knew how to have fun, especially back in high school, but he also worked hard. One of his favourite jobs at that time was at Labatt’s Brewery where his Friday afternoons were spent “sampling” the products. A Tribute to George Wayne Douglas 1938 – 2005