sor (1949-1955) and Professor (1955-1973). In 1973, he was 

 appointed to the famous professorship (Fisher Professor of 



Nfatnral Hktnrv^ first helrl hv Asa Grav and successively bv M. 



L. Fernald, F. L. Hisaw, Paul C. Mangelsdorf, and Frank L. 

 Carpenter. He served as Curator of the Paloebotanical Collec- 

 tions of the Botanical Museum, beginning in 1948, and by invi- 

 tation he was a member of the faculty of the Department of 

 Geology of the University from 1946 onward. 



Tracing Barghoorn's botanical career shows connections 

 between a series of diverse disciplines that cannot but evoke 



admiratio 



omp 



broad spectrum of scientific endeavor. His early studies on 

 xylem rays in conifers and dicotyledons found an outlet in a 

 fortuitous and innovative piece of work that helped to restore 

 the early colonial Saugus Iron Works in Saugus, Massachusetts, 

 which has now become a United States National Monument. 

 The problem was how to restore half-decomposed wood which 

 had been buried in muck and peat for several hundred years to a 

 state where it could be safely used in the reconstruction. His 



material with a mi 



remain 



a relatively long period eventually allowed the restoration to 



proceed. Elso liked 



m the work-a-day 



m 



uncovered by excavations for a tall building in Boston showed 

 that the fishweir was in operation over 2,500 years ago. I will 

 always remember the enthusiasm he showed when several husky 

 students lugged to him a heavy rounded chunk of partially dete- 



material 



marks of a real m 



wasn't long before he had determined that the material had a 

 high carbon content and other characteristics leading to an indi- 

 cation that it was a latex of some sort. Further investigation 

 proved it to be rubber and the object turned out to be a big ball 

 of rubber latex still unrefined and probably in the mold it had 



m 



materials 



41 



