Pennsylvania Graduate Is Distinguished Michigan 
Faculty Scholar


WILLIAM RANDOLPH TAY
LOR, Professor of Botany 
and Curator of Algae in the Uni
versity Herbarium, was in charge
 of the algae course at the Woods
 Hole Laboratory, in Massachusetts
—the largest marine biological lab
oratory in the world—even before 
he joined the University's faculty 
in 1930, and has continued to spend
 his summers there. As many as
 200 independent researchers usually
 are included in the colony and the 
mess is equipped to feed 450 per-
sons. Dr. Taylor came to the Uni
versity from the University of 
Pennsylvania, where he received 
three degrees and had risen to the
 rank of full Professor.

He is the
 author of Marine Algae of Florida
 and contributor of the chapter of
 "General Botanical Microtechni
que" in the Handbook of Microscopical Technique (2 editions). The
 first was completed following three
 summers during which he had been
 
connected with the Carnegie Lab
oratory at Dry Tortugas. His most 
recent book is Marine Algae of the
 Northeastern Coast of North Amer
ica, a publication of the University
 of Michigan Press.

Professor Taylor 
also has made a study of the algae
 of glaciers and alpine lakes in Bri
tish Columbia and he was a mem
ber of an interesting expedition 
sponsored by the California philan
thropist, G. Allan Hancock, in 1934. This party made a three months' 
cruise along the coasts of Mexico, 
 Central and South America, spend
ing most of the time among the 
Galapagos Islands, and Dr. Taylor 
brought back much valuable ma
terial which is the basis for reports 
upon which he now is engaged. The 
photography of plants and flowers 
is one of his hobbies. His photographs are quite closely related to 
his own work, although he has pro
duced some unusual studies of ani
mals encountered "on location."
 His family consists of his wife—a
 Sweet Briar alumna—and two little 
boys. They spend the summers with 
him at Woods Hole.