Rice University Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum records

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.

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.