Obituary

From: plantnut at macconnect.com (Dewey) on 2000.01.18 at 16:08:24(4004) It is with deep regret that tell you about the passing of an Icon. Dr. Monroe Birdsey died this last week-end. He passed in his sleep due to Cardiac Arrest. He had not been feeling too well for the last few weeks but would not go to the Hospital as he was advised. This was true to his character. Dr. Birdsey did his Undergraduate work at the University of Miami, his Masters at Columbia and received his Doctoral at the University of California, Berkeley. His Thesis on Syngonium, though unpublished, was considered the definitive work at the time. He was noted for his humor. He was a master Punsman. His command of the language was more than exceptional. With this command, he shared his years of accumulated knowledge by speaking engagements all over Florida and with individuals with which he came in contact. He was also a world traveler. At least a couple times a year he would leave for a trip to some exotic location. Sometimes to a major world capitol and sometimes to a very dense jungle from where he brought back many plants that are now in common cultivation in Florida. Monroe was one of the most generous Collectors that I have ever known. Anyone visiting his marvelous acre in South Miami always left with an arm loads of cuttings and plants. He also had one of the largest private Cycad collections in the world. Monroe is survived by three sons who have gathered in Miami. There will be a Memorial Service in the garden that he developed over the past half a century. Again, this is a great personal loss and certainly a loss to the Aroid Community. Dewey Fisk +More Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE Your Source for Tropical Araceae Go to

From: "Peter Boyce" p.boyce at rbgkew.org.uk> on 2000.01.18 at 23:34:10(4005) Dear Dewey Great sadness but wonderfully written. I only met Monroe once, but will always remember the day, clambering around his 'patch' with Tom in the sort of rainstorm only Florida can produce in late summer. It was a great day with great people and great plants. He'll be missed. Pete +More ---------------------------- Peter Boyce Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE Tel. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5207 fax. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5278 email: p.boyce@rbgkew.org.uk (work) boyce@pothos.demon.co.uk (home)

From: hermine hermine at endangeredspecies.com> on 2000.01.20 at 04:21:07(4007) At 08:08 AM 01/18/2000 , Dewey wrote: >It is with deep regret that tell you about the passing of an Icon. Dr. >Monroe Birdsey died this last week-end. He passed in his sleep due to >Cardiac Arrest. He had not been feeling too well for the last few weeks >but would not go to the Hospital as he was advised. This was true to his >character. +More i am so grateful i had the chance to meet him! He was a great fella and yes, most generous, and a jolly sort! his children palms are standing over my head now, grown from his seed. I guess he was one of the three people who were so NICE to me when i phoned them out of the blue, some 25 years ago, and said, hello, i am a perfect stranger living in Boston and growing rare palms under fluorescent lights...and....he treated me like an old friend and immediately sent off a care package of seeds. I found him in the membership list of the Palm Society. i am sure the number of folks who knew him up close and person will be SIMPLY ENORMOUS. he is a great loss, and a swell guy. i am glad he went easy. he really MATTERED. hermine

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2000.01.20 at 05:31:39(4009) Dear Dewey, Thanks for letting us all know of the passing of this great man, our friend Monroe Birdsey. Every word you wrote about Monroe was true, especially about his generosity in sharing his knowledge and plant specimens, a trait often hidden by his 'put on' crusty exterior which hid his heart of gold. He shall be terribly missed, and I will find myself wondering why he no longer calls just to chat or discuss a plant issue as he did from time to time. Thanks again. Sincerely, Julius +More ju-bo@msn.com

From: TimothyA7 at aol.com on 2000.01.20 at 05:31:59(4010) All, I will miss him. He was my friend. Tim

From: DeniBown at aol.com on 2000.02.07 at 15:14:14(4069) Dear Dewey, When your message arrived I had just left the office and the UK behind for a couple of weeks and have only just returned to read the sad news about Monroe Birdsey. +More I only met Monroe once, when I was researching and photographing Aroids - Plants of the Arum Family - in 1984 I think it would be. He very kindly allowed me to visit his wonderful collection and I remember being almost as fascinated by his puns as his plants. I also remember being pretty nervous as I had been forewarned about the likelihood of a ticking off if he didn't take to me, or if I stepped out of line! In fact he was perfectly charming and I enjoyed every minute of the visit and only wished I could spend longer and get to know him better. But the continuing debt I owe to Monroe is his book The Cultivated Aroids. It was already out of print when I first became interested in aroids in the 1970s but fortunately RBG Kew had a copy and I arranged for a photocopy of every page. (I never did find a copy so I still consult my photocopies to this day.) Monroe's book, together with Cecil Prime's Lords and Ladies were the only books I could find on this amazing family of plants, which started me on the track that led to Aroids - Plants of the Arum Family. So Monroe's work really was an inspiration and is something I shall always value. With kind regards, Deni Bown

From: MJ Hatfield oneota at ames.net> on 2000.02.13 at 01:26:36(4095) Warning Could not process message with given Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="Listproc-outter-1762"

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