Skip to main content

Rice University Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum records

 Collection
Identifier: UA 0276
Finding aid note: Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of materials related to the Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum at Rice University. There is information about Lynn R. Lowrey, the inaugural planting, and the dedication ceremony on March 18, 1999. Also included are planning information, meeting minutes, correspondence, and the Arboretum Collection Guide. There are six videotaped oral interviews conducted by the Conservation History Association of Texas for the Texas Legacy Project in 2004. The individuals interviewed are John Fairey, Mike Shoup, Carl Schoenfeld, Mary Ann Pickens, Scooter Cheatham, and David Creech. Finally, the collection includes a copy of the illustrated Texas Wild Flowers by Eliza Johnston which was presented to Charles Tapley by the Garden Club of Houston.

Dates

  • Creation: 1997 - 2004

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This material is open for research. Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum Records, 1999- must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

Biographical / Historical

The project of creating an arboretum at Rice University was spearheaded by architect and landscape architect Charles Tapley and Patsy and Mike Anderson, family members of Lynn R. Lowrey (1917-1997), in whose honor the arboretum is named. Dedication ceremonies took place on March 18, 1999. Initial plantings included two white oaks, two fringe trees, and a swamp chestnut oak. Lynn R. Lowrey, a well known Houston horticulturalist and collector, has been described as the founder of the native plant movement in Texas. He was best known for the use of native Mexican and Texas plants in landscapes. Thus, the arboretum is intended to feature native Texas trees and shrubs.

Biographical / Historical

Born in Mansfield, Louisiana, in 1917, Lynn R. Lowrey was a graduate of Louisiana State University in 1940 with a degree in horticulture. After serving four years in the US Army during World War II, he came to Houston in the 1950s to work with an established Houston firm, Teas Nursery. He soon opened his own nursery on Westheimer and was known for his unusual native plants. He landscaped many Houston homes and businesses and made many trips to identify and collect plants from Mexico. He received a grant to study certain plant species in China and was instrumental in providing funding for cancer research on Camptotheca trees. Lowrey was the recipient of many awards: the American Association of Nurserymen National Landscape Award, the Houston Botanical Society Environmental Achievement Award, the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Award, the Municipal Art Commission Award, and several plant conservation awards. He died in 1997.

Extent

1.25 Linear Feet ( (3 boxes))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection consists of materials related to the Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum on the campus of Rice University. Included are records of the inaugural plantings in 1999, news clips, meeting minutes, correspondence, planning information, and oral interviews on videotape, conducted by the Conservation History Association of Texas for the Texas Legacy Project, 2004. Also included is Charles Tapley’s presentation copy of Texas Wild Flowers by Eliza Johnston.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donors include David Todd (2004, videotapes); Renee Paen (2006) and Charles Tapley.

Title
Guide to the Rice University Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum records, 1997-2004
Status
Completed
Date
2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA
713-348-2586