William Ralph Maxon, whose portrait is presented this month, first saw
the light at Oneida, N.Y., on Feb. 27, 1877, where his parents reside.
He graduated at Oneida High School in the class of 1894. From there he
went to Syracuse University, where he took the degree of Ph. B. in 1898.
The bent of his mind was toward botany and almost immediately after
graduating he went to New York and was employed for a few months in the
herbarium of the Botanical Garden at Bronx Park. From there he went to
Washington and took a temporary position in the U.S. National Museum.
But in August, 1899, as the result of a Civil Service examination, he
received the appointment of Aid in Cryptogamic Botany in that
institution, and still retains that position.
Mr. Maxon joined the Fern Chapter in 1895, served as its secretary for
the year 1899, and as president of the Chapter for the two years 1900
and 1901. He is a member of the Botanical Society of Washington, of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of two other
local societies in Washington. He has published several valuable papers
on botanical subjects, among which are "A List of the Ferns and Fern
Allies of North America north of Mexico;" "On the Occurrence of the
Hart's-tongue in America," which formed his presidential address before
the Fern Chapter at its meeting in New York in 1900; "A Study of Certain
Mexican and Guatemalan Species of Polypodium"; besides several shorter
papers containing descriptions of new species, including a continued
series in the Fern Bulletin entitled "Notes on American Ferns." For a
young man Mr. Maxon has done some notably good work, and his position in
the National Museum is one which will give him exceptional opportunities
for original work in the future.--_B. D. Gilbert._