Botanical Museum Leaflets 

 Spring 1984 



Vol. 30. No. 2 



FRANK W. HANKINS (1897-1983): 



AN APPRECIATION 



Ralph H. Wetmore 



During the academic year of 1 958 59, Mr. Frank W. Hankins 

 of Alpine, Texas made his first appearance at the laboratory of 

 Professor Elso S. Barghoorn at Harvard University. He had 

 heard of the Harvard Wood Collection and was seriously inter- 

 ested. Professor Barghoorn was obviously intrigued by the dis- 



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Wood 



tion. Professor Barghoorn encouraged this relationship, since 

 Mr. Hankins had retired from his consulting business in Texas 

 and was investigating possible fields in which he might direct his 

 efforts as a major concern. Having already visited other wood 

 laboratories in the United States, he established a technical 

 laboratory at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, and 

 recruited staff members to permit progress in acquiring knowl- 

 edge in the study of wood. 



For twenty-five years (1958-1983) he maintained his associa- 

 tion with Professor Barghoorn and the Harvard Wood Collec- 

 tion, returning to Harvard each year for varying periods of time, 

 for discussions and reporting progress. For two years he was 

 appointed as a member of the Visiting Committee for Biology of 

 the Harvard Board of Overseers and attended the joint meetings 

 of this committee with the Harvard Faculty of Biology. During 



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and its staff. He established a collection of wood samples from 

 trees and shrubs of Gymnosperms and Angiosperms in his own 

 laboratory and built up a small staff at the local college, Sul Ross 

 State University, in Alpine, Texas. He made microscopic wood 

 slides or made connections with competent staff members at 

 other universities where excellent microscopic slides could be 

 prepared and initially evaluated. These slides and those made 



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