Clyde Calvin

Clyde Calvin passed away on November 3rd, 2021, with his wife, Carol Wilson, at his side. A native of Washington he earned an undergraduate degree at Washington State University, an M.S. at Purdue, and his Ph.D. with Dr. Katherine Esau at the University of California, Davis. He spent most of his career at Portland State University. After retiring he continued as an emeritus researcher at the California Botanic Garden (Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden) and then the University and Jepson Herbaria, where his collections and research archives will be housed. Clyde was a leading authority on mistletoes, with a focus on the anatomy of the host/parasite union. He was a fearless traveler who collected research materials and friendships world-wide. Clyde was known for his adventuresome spirit, gift of mentorship, sense of humor, and cheerful demeanor. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues.

Clyde leaves an important legacy of well-curated collections at UC/JEPS, which together with recent donations of two other major mistletoe collections gives UC/JEPS the largest collection (~19,200 specimens) of mistletoes in the world. The Calvin/Wilson mistletoe collection has about 1,200 vouchers and associated haustorial (connection between parasite and host) samples. The Job Kuijt collection consists of more than 10,800 sheets and represents his 50+ years of mistletoe research. UC/JEPS also received about 2,500 mistletoe specimens representing the life work of Frank Hawksworth. The UC/JEPS collection prior to these new acquisitions comprised only about 4,700 sheets.