Faustino Miranda, 1905–1964

Abstract

On December 17, 1964, Faustino Miranda died in Mexico City at the age of 59. His death was particularly tragic since it occurred at the prime of his life when he was working to complete a scientific study which was to have been one of his finest botanical contributions. Botanists, not only in Mexico but elsewhere, were eagerly awaiting this work. Faustino Antonio Miranda Gonzalez was born February 19, 1905, in the city of Gijon, Spain, of a family which was already connected with the academic world. His father was a professor of mathematics and the author of texts which were used widely in this field. Miranda attended primary school in Gijon and there also obtained the bachelor's degree at the "Instituto Jovellanos" in 1920, winning the Jovellanos-Habana prize as the best student in his class. Much earlier, however, he had realized that his vocation lay in the field of natural sciences. The proximity to the sea and to the Cordillera Cantaibrica apparently exerted a strong influence upon the sensitive character of the young Miranda. He spent most of his free time either at the nearby seashore or in the mountains near his home. It was during this period that he seems to have developed a keen sense of observation which he maintained throughout his lifetime. In 1921, Miranda moved to Madrid to enroll in the School of Sciences at the Universidad Central. He received the licenciado degree in natural sciences in 1925 and continued his studies for the doctorate. His interest in botany prevailed and he decided to prepare his doctoral dissertation on the algae of the Cantabrian coast. To this end he received financial support from the "Junta para Ampliacion de Estudios e Investigaciones Cientificas de Madrid." As a result of his studies he was awarded highest honors by his university in 1929. After this, Miranda stayed on for three more years working as a fellow at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid. In 1931, he was given a fellowship for six months' study at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. During these three years Miranda published eleven original works, including one based on his doctoral dissertation. In 1930 he was named assistant in the Department of Science at one of the institutes of secondary education in Madrid. In 1932 he was granted the doctor's degree, and at the same time the Ministry of Public Education and Fine Arts gave him the rank of professor (Catedraitico Numerario). On obtaining these documents Miranda left Madrid, teaching for several years in other cities. The lack of positions in Madrid no doubt contributed to these peregrinations, but one must also keep in mind his strong attraction for provincial life and especially his desire to be near the sea, which was his major focus of interest during these years. Miranda achieved by competitive examination the position of professor in the Institutes of Secondary Education at Lugo (1932), Pontevedra (1933), and Gijon (1935). While he was in Pontevedra the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid put him in charge of its Laboratory of Marine Biology of Gilicia, at Marin (Pontevedra). His teaching duties limited his scientific productivity severely, al-