Lomatium peckianum, drawn for Lincoln Constance of UC Berkeley by Linda Ann Vorobik. 
of how Peck viewed his own work and collegial relationships. 
From correspondence in presidential files, Peck apparently held 
Henderson in high regard, commenting in a letter to University 
of Oregon Professor Sweetser in 1939 that "I do not like to 
think of the University of Oregon Herbarium without Profes¬ 
sor Henderson...." In addition. Peck's correspondence with some 
individuals either predates the publication of his flora and/or 
spans enough years to be considered indicative of long-standing 
personal or professional relationships; these persons include Milo 
Baker, Carleton Ball, Lincoln Constance, Helen Gilkey, Tho¬ 
mas Macbride, Oliver Matthews, Marion Ownbey, Francis 
Pennell, J.W.Thompson, Charles Weatherby, and Edgar Wherry. 
Peck's health began to fail as early as 1952, when, by letter, 
J. T. Howell expressed hope that his condition would improve. 
The fact of his illness must have been well known even a year 
later when Bartlett mistakenly referred to the "late Professor 
Morton Peck" in an early draft of a biographical sketch mailed 
to Willamette University; the error was corrected prior to the 
article's publication in the Asa Gray Bulletin. Yet another simi¬ 
lar error surfaced in 1958 when a newspaper account claimed 
Peck's award from the Oregon Federation of Garden Clubs to 
be posthumous! The cause of his passing on December 4,1959, 
is unclear from the literature. What we do know from Presi¬ 
dent Coney's comments in the Willamette Chronicles (Gatke, 
1943), however, is that Peck's home was likely "in the hearts of 
some three thousand men and women whom he instructed and 
inspired." He was survived by his wife and by a nephew. Ward 
Prescott, an algologist whose work reflected a similar scholarly 
excellence. Today students and professionals alike are reminded 
of Peck's contributions via the Peck Herbarium, his manual of 
Oregon plants, and the Peck Scholarship, which has been 
awarded annually since 19 73 to Willamette undergraduates with 
botanical inclinations. If he were alive today, doubtless Peck 
would be delighted to know that a new Oregon checklist and 
flora are already in progress! 
Acknowledgements 
I extend sincere thanks to the many individuals who helped 
fill in the missing links in this story, but especially to Amy Ri¬ 
chard who helped sort through masses of archival materials at 
Willamette University. Richard Yocum, Rhoda Love, and Sue 
Rende provided helpful logistical assistance and good ideas as 
to sources of information and photos. I also gratefully acknowl¬ 
edge the staff and resources of the libraries, archives, and her¬ 
baria of Oregon State University, Willamette University, and 
University of Oregon. 
References 
Archival material, including correspondence of Albert Sweetser 
and Prince Lucieu Campbell; 1936 autobiography penned 
by M.E. Peck. Special Collections, Knight Library, Univer¬ 
sity of Oregon, Eugene. 
Archival material, including correspondence of President 
Smith and others, photos, miscellaneous newspaper articles, 
Hatfield Library & Hallie Ford Gallery, Willamette 
University, Salem, Oregon. 
Chambers, K. 1977. News of herbaria. Morton E. Peck 
Herbarium. Taxon 26: 160-161. 
Constance, L. 1960. Morton E. Peck. Taxon 9: 165-167. (with 
photo) 
Correspondence to Morton Peck. Peck Herbarium, Oregon 
State University, Corvallis, Oregon. 
6 
Kalmiopsis Volume 7, 2001 
