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OBITUARIES
Aubrey
W. Naylor
 Dr.
Aubrey Willard Naylor, James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at Duke University,
88, died June 30, 2003. Dr. Naylor was born February 5, 1915, in Union
City, Tennessee. He attended the University of Chicago, receiving his
B.S. in 1937, M.S. in 1938, and Ph.D. in 1940. He was married to the late
Dr. Frances Valentine Lloyd Naylor, also a plant physiologist.
Dr. Naylor was a world-class
scientist and teacher, a mentor to many students and young scientists,
and always a true gentleman. His trademark blue suit and red tie, sometimes
replaced in later years by sweaters with ties, suggested that he was a
very formal person. However, those who knew him were taken by his warmth
and sense of humor.
His distinguished
career began as a staff member, Bureau of Plant Industry, USDA, 1938–1940.
He was an Instructor in the Department of Botany at the University of
Chicago (where he received his Ph.D.) during 1940–1944 and Northwestern
University, 1944–1945. During World War II he served as an instructor
for the U.S. Navy. That was followed by a National Research Council fellowship
at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, then in Yonkers, New
York, from 1945 to 1946. He became an assistant professor, University
of Washington, 1946–1947; assistant professor, Yale University, 1947–1952;
associate professor, Duke University, 1952–1959; professor, Duke
University, 1959–1972; James B. Duke Professor of Botany, Duke University,
1972–1985; and finally James B. Duke Professor Emeritus, Duke University,
1985–2003.
His other positions
included research participant and consultant, Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear
Studies, 1954–1960; visiting professor, University of Bristol, England,
1958–1959; program director for metabolic biology, National Science
Foundation, Washington, DC, 1961–1962; visiting professor, University
of Texas at Austin, autumn 1977; chairman, Committee of Examiners for
Graduate Record Examination on Biology, 1966–1972; consultant, Research
Triangle Institute, 1968; Tennessee Valley Authority, 1969–1975;
Schaper and Brummer Pharmaceutical Company, 1986–1992; and Azco Salt
Company, 1991–1996.
Dr. Naylor had numerous
outstanding contributions to professional journals and books. His many
honors and affiliations with professional and honorary societies included
Guggenheim Fellow, 1958–1959; National Science Foundation senior
fellow; fellow and life member, AAAS; life member, American Society of
Plant Biologists (chairman of the Board of Trustees, 1962–1974; president,
1961; Executive Committee, 1959–1960, 1962–1974, 1981–1982;
Distinguished Service Award, Southern Section, 1981; Charles Reid Barnes
Award, 1981; archivist, 1987–2003); member, American Institute of
Biological Sciences, American Society of Cell Biology, Botanical Society
of America with Certificate of Merit (1988), Scandinavian Society of Plant
Physiologists, Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists, Australian Society
of Plant Physiologists, British Biochemical Society; Sigma Xi; Cosmos
Club (1962–2003); Duke University Research Council (1968–1974);
and Duke University Board of Trustees Executive Committee (1968–1973).
Dr. Naylor was a renaissance
man of plant physiology, with an encyclopedic knowledge of plant science
and its history. Despite personal losses and declining health, he maintained
a great interest in science, politics, and other topics. In his own words,
“Almost everything interests me. For this reason, I am seldom bored.
Channeling my curiosity has been best achieved through a burning desire
to learn how living things grow from a single cell, differentiate into
a distinct multi-cellular organism, and reproduce. The joy of discovery
feeds upon itself and motivates me to work, work, and work some more.”
He was dedicated to
Duke University, ASPB, and the Southern Section of ASPB. Even after retirement,
he dedicated many hours of service to these institutions. For example,
for several years after retirement he was the unofficial photographer
for the Society’s annual meetings. Like a cub reporter, he was everywhere
snapping photos, many of which were printed in the ASPB News. Until quite
recently, he continued to hold informal plant physiology discussions and
seminars at the Duke University Department of Botany.
We maintained correspondence
over the years. His communications were always upbeat, insightful, and
inspiring. He continued to give me good advice, even in his last letter
a few months ago. Similar comments have come from other former students.
He was one of the movers and shakers of the golden age of plant physiology
and one of last vestiges of the southern gentleman. He will be greatly
missed by his many former students and colleagues.
Dr. Naylor is survived
by his daughters, Virginia Dawson Naylor Kirby of Rochester, Minnesota,
and Edith-Margaret Naylor DeWitt of Loveland, Colorado; sons-in-laws;
and three grandchildren.
Memorials may be directed
to the Giles Fund (which funds student experiments in the Duke University
Phytotron), Department of Biology, Box 90338, Duke University, Durham,
NC 27708 or to the First Presbyterian Church Building Fund, 305 E. Main
Street, Durham, NC 27701.
Stephen O. Duke
Oxford, Mississippi
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