The contributions of William T. Gillis (1933-79) to the flora of the Bahamas

William T. Gillis (1933—79) became interested in the Bahama flora while conducting field research for his Ph.D. His interest intensified from 1968 to 1972 during his appointment as taxonomist and herbarium curator at the Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. He made many collecting trips to the Bahama Islands, and in 1970, in collaboration with Richard A. Howard of Harvard University and George R. Proctor of the Institute of Jamaica, proposed to revise The Bahama Flora that Britton and Millspaugh had published in 1920. Although their NSF proposal was not funded, Gillis continued his work on the Bahama flora, as a Mercer Research Fellow at Harvard University, then as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Hope College, Holland, Michigan, and finally as Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, East Lansing. His publications for revisions of The Bahama Flora appeared between 1973 and 1977. Gillis' death in 1979, at the age of 45, prevented his completion of this valuable contribution to Bahamian natural history. A comprehensive summary of his contributions to the study of the Bahama flora is presented.