Norton George Miller Explained
Norton George Miller (1942–2011) was an American bryologist and paleobotanist. He was the president of the American Bryological and Lichenological Society from 1985 to 1987.
Biography
Norton G. Miller grew up in the towns of Orchard Park and South Wales south of Buffalo, New York. He roamed the woods with the family dog, became an avid birder, and studied natural history, especially botany, under the mentorship of Mabel Hinde James.[3] [4] He served as her assistant and also became an Eagle Scout.[3] He graduated in 1959 from Holland Central High School in Erie County, New York[1] and graduated in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in biology from the University at Buffalo. In 1964 he married Heather Swan. During their marriage of over 47 years, she accompanied him on his bryological collecting trips and collaborated on several scientific projects.[3] In 1969 he graduated with a Ph.D. in botany from Michigan State University.[1] As a postdoc, he was an assistant curator at the Arnold Arboretum from 1969 to 1970.[5] For several years he worked on a research project, the Generic Flora of the Southeastern United States, led by Carroll Emory Wood Jr.
For five and one-half years ending on June 30, 1980, Miller was the supervisor of the Gray and Arnold Arboretum Herbaria and chair of the Herbarium Committee, and then continued on the staff as botanist at the Gray Herbarium and the Arnold Arboretum.[6] In 1983 he joined the staff of the New York State Museum and eventually retired there as emeritus curator of bryology and Quaternary paleobotany[1] He was on the editorial boards of ten journals.[7]
Upon his death he was survived by his widow, a son, and one granddaughter.[1] The Adirondack Mountain Club created the Dr. Norton G. Miller Memorial Fund in his honor.[7]
Selected publications
- Miller. Norton G.. Noteworthy Hepaticae from New York State. The Bryologist. 69. 1. 1966. 115–118. 0007-2745. 10.2307/3240494. 3240494.
- 43774272. The Genera of the Cannabaceae in the Southeastern United States. Miller. Norton G.. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 1970. 51. 2. 185–203. 10.5962/bhl.part.7039. free.
- 43781714. The Genera of the Urticaceae in the Southeastern United States. Miller. Norton G.. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 1971. 52. 1. 40–68. 10.5962/bhl.part.9110. free.
- 43781726. The Polygalaceae in the Southeastern United States. Miller. Norton G.. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 1971. 52. 2. 267–284. 10.5962/bhl.part.9114. free.
- 43781763. Lateglacial Plants and Plant Communities in Northwestern New York State. Miller. Norton G.. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 1973. 54. 2. 123–159. 10.5962/p.324708. 240313004. free.
- 41753109. Studies on North American Quaternary Bryophyte Subfossils I. A New Moss Assemblage from the Two Creeks Forest Bed of Wisconsin. Miller. Norton G.. Occasional Papers of the Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany. 1976. 9. 21–42. 10.5962/p.305840. free.
- 10.2307/3241866. 3241866. Growth in Culture of Wind-Blown Bryophyte Gametophyte Fragments from Arctic Canada. Miller. Norton G.. Howe Ambrose. L. J.. The Bryologist. 1976. 79. 1. 55–63.
- 24333259. A Floristic Catalog of Battle Park, University of North Carolina Campus, Chapel Hill. I. Bryophyta. Solberg. Robert M.. Miller. Norton G.. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. 1979. 95. 1. 1–16.
- 23311078. Distributional Studies of Massachusetts Bryophytes. Mishler. Brent D.. Miller. Norton G.. Rhodora. 1983. 85. 844. 421–432.
- 10.2307/2425522. 2425522. Jackson. Stephen T.. Miller. Norton G.. Paleoecology of a Fossil Plant Assemblage from a Pre-Wisconsinan till in Southern Illinois. The American Midland Naturalist. 1983. 109. 1. 120–135.
- Miller, Norton G.. Alpert, Peter. Plant associations and edaphic features of a high arctic mesotopographic setting." Arctic and Alpine Research. Arctic and Alpine Research. 16. 1. 1984. 11–23. 10.1080/00040851.1984.12004387. free.
- 10.1179/jbr.1989.15.3.583. Late-Pleistocene Anthelia (Hepaticae), an arctic-alpine, snow-bed indicator at a low elevation site in Massachusetts, U.S.A.. 1989. Miller. Norton G.. Journal of Bryology. 15. 3. 583–588. 1989JBryo..15..583M .
- 43390659. Modern research with bryophytes: An overview. Miller. Norton G.. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. 1993. 25. 1. 1–10.
- 10.2307/3244049. 3244049. Nomenclatural Status of the Moss Grevilleanum serratum, with Notes on the Early 18th Century American Scientists, L. C. Beck and E. Emmons, Senior. Miller. Norton G.. McKinley. Daniel. The Bryologist. 1997. 100. 2. 198–203.
- 10.1639/0007-2745(2000)103[0592:WDOBFI]2.0.CO;2. 0007-2745. 2000. 103. 592. Winter Dispersal of Bryophyte Fragments in the Adirondack Mountains, New York. McDaniel. Stuart F.. Miller. Norton G.. The Bryologist. 3. 86453894 .
- 10.3732/ajb.91.8.1173. Bryophyte dispersal inferred from colonization of an introduced substratum on Whiteface Mountain, New York. 2004. Miller. Norton G.. McDaniel. Stuart F.. American Journal of Botany. 91. 8. 1173–1182. 21653473. free.
- 10.3119/04-13.1. The bryoflora of Mt. Everett, Taconic Mountains, Massachusetts. 2005. Miller. Norton G.. Rhodora. 107. 929. 34–51. 84952581.
- 10.3119/05-7.1. Bryophytes and lichens of a calcium-rich spring seep isolated on the granitic terrain of Mt. Katahdin, Maine, U.S.A.. 2005. Miller. Norton G.. Fryday. Alan M.. Hinds. James W.. Rhodora. 107. 932. 339–358. 86815840.
- 10.3119/08-7.1. Mosses Adventive and Naturalized in the Northeastern United States: New Examples and New Distributional Records. 2009. Miller. Norton G.. Rhodora. 111. 946. 218–230. 86348583.
- 10.1016/j.quaint.2011.06.004. The Sporormiella proxy and end-Pleistocene megafaunal extinction: A perspective. 2011. Feranec. Robert S.. Miller. Norton G.. Lothrop. Jonathan C.. Graham. Russell W.. Quaternary International. 245. 2. 333–338. 2011QuInt.245..333F.
- 10.1016/j.yqres.2012.04.002. Mastodon herbivory in mid-latitude late-Pleistocene boreal forests of eastern North America. 2012. Teale. Chelsea L.. Miller. Norton G.. Quaternary Research. 78. 1. 72–81. 2012QuRes..78...72T. 129603984.
- 10.1639/0007-2745-116.4.382. Bryophyte diversity on Adirondack alpine summits is maintained by dissemination and establishment of vegetative fragments and spores. 2013. Robinson. Sean C.. Miller. Norton G.. The Bryologist. 116. 4. 382–391. 86339730.
- 10.3119/15-09. Bryophytes of Martha's Vineyard and Nomans Land, Massachusetts, USA. 2015. Miller. Norton G.. Robinson. Sean C.. Rhodora. 117. 972. 431–453. 88244009.
References
- News: Obituary. Norton G. Miller. Albany Times Union. December 30, 2011.
- Web site: Norton G. Miller. Plant Biology Tree.
- 23321059. Norton G. Miller (1942—2011). Mishler. Brent D.. Miller. Heather S.. Miller. Andrew D.. The Bryologist. 2012. 115. 3. 449–453. 10.1639/0007-2745-115.3.449. 83926237.
- James, Mabel H.. Conservation Caravan: A Fresh Approach to Conservation Education. The American Biology Teacher. 11. 8. 1949. 192–194. 10.2307/4438092. 4438092.
- Howard, Richard A.. Director's Report: The Arnold Arboretum During the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1970. Arnoldia. 1970. 30. 6. 250 of pp. 201–250.
- The Director's Report. Ashton, Peter Shaw. Arnoldia. 1980. 40. 6. 257 of pp. 238–293.
- Web site: Protecting High Peak Summits: Announcing the Dr. Norton G. Miller Memorial Fund. Adirondack Mountain Club. 22 June 2020.