Celebrating 30 Years
September 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of our greenhouse!
Since 1994, the Williams Conservatory has been been committed to exceptional teaching, research, and outreach. Our diverse greenhouse has been an invaluable resource for faculty, students, and the public for decades.
The Beginning of Botany at UWYO
Aven Nelson came to the University of Wyoming in 1887 when the university consisted of just one building. As one of the first 6 faculty members, he was appointed biology professor and librarian and eventually went on to found the Rocky Mountain Herbarium.
Nelson became a wold-famous botanist and is noted as making the Rocky Mountain Herbarium a central focus point of botany for the Rocky Mountain region.
Aven Nelson in Yellowstone Park, 1899. American Heritage Center.
Botany faculty that followed in Aven Nelson's footsteps have historically gained widespread recognition for their teaching and research, and have steadily contributed to the development of UW's reputation in the botanical sciences. They have helped countless graduates secure positions within the industry, secondary education, state and federal government, museums, and some of the finest colleges and universities.
But they needed teaching and research tools that would stand up to the
quality that was expected of the department.
Before the early-to-mid 90s, the botany department had a dilapidated and obsolete greenhouse that very badly needed to be modernized and expanded. They needed to build a new greenhouse with better infrastructure, lighting, and climate control. This new greenhouse would be a state-of-the-art facility that represented a major advancement in the teaching and research capabilities of the botany department. The Williams Conservatory was largely funded by the National Science Foundation, and Abandoned Mine Land Fund, and private donations from Louis O. Williams, Terua P. Williams, and P. A. B. Widener.
Louis O. Williams
Terua P. Williams
Louis O. Williams
Terua P. Williams
Louis O. and Terua P. Williams, for whom the botany conservatory is named, demonstrated an abiding affection for the University of Wyoming for over 6 decades. Their commitment was matched only by Louis' dedication to excellence in botanical studies.
As a boy in Jackson, Louis met professor Aven Nelson along Cache Creek where Nelson was collecting plants for his research. Louis later came to UW, studying botany with Nelson as his mentor. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees from UW. The summer before he enrolled at the university in Laramie, Louis met Terua Pierson, a teacher from Utah who had come to Wyoming to teach at a school in nearby Moose. They were later married on September 16, 1934.
Following his studies at UW, Louis earned his doctorate from Washington University and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. For 7 years he served as a research associate at the Ames Orchid Herbarium of Harvard University, where he also edited the American Orchid Society Bulletin.
During World War II, Williams worked on a rubber procurement project in Brazil. Following another period of research at Harvard, he directed his efforts to the Escuela Agricola Panamericana in Honduras, where he taught, built a large herbarium, and developed a regional history library. Terua also worked for the school.
Louis was employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 3 years before joining the staff of Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History in 1960. He subsequently became head of the botany department at the museum, retiring in 1973. During his career, Louis published numerous scientific papers in journals and books.
Following retirement, Louis continued his work by completing the Flora of Guatemala. Terua prepared the index for his landmark volume. The couple moved to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, but over the year Louis and Terua returned to Wyoming regularly, each time stopping for visits with their friends in the botany department and Rocky Mountain Herbarium. Louis died in 1991.
Terua continued her support of the botany department after Louis' death, mostly through two major gifts. Without her generous support, the Williams Conservatory would not have been built.
The Williams Conservatory was dedicated on September 16th, 1994.
Our growing space has made significant contributions to research spanning 3 decades at the University of Wyoming.
Our teaching collection and outreach efforts have reached thousands of students of all ages throughout the decades.
30 Years of Growth!
