In Memoriam: Thomas Howard Brown

After a long and difficult period of failing health Tom Brown died Oct. 10, 2002. Tom, with his typical sense of humour, characterized the past 5¾ years since he was diagnosed with cancer as "being blessedly long, although it was sometimes awkward and inconvenient being the battlefield on which the doctors fought his cancer."

Tom and his wife Meg have been members of the Vancouver Rhododendron Society for over twenty years, as well as belonging to Fraser South for several years. He has participated in many areas of our society. He has been a director of our chapter as well as vice-president. He gave talks at our meetings on many different subjects. He liked to experiment and succeeded in taking a succession of cuttings in the spring for those plants that were very difficult to root in the fall. He also had great success in placing plants on top of the ground and covering the roots with bark mulch. As an Associate Professor of Geology, specializing in geochemistry, his major contribution to us was in designing the correct formulation in rhododendron fertilizer for this area. For many years, when Meg was Book Sales Chairman, Tom brought all the books for the book sale table and then took them all home again until the next meeting.

Tom was also an active birder, belonging to several birding societies and spent many hours woodworking in his basement workshop.