William Whitmore Goodale Moir
William Whitmore Goodale Moir | |
|---|---|
Moir, c. 1925 | |
| Born | March 17, 1896 |
| Died | February 21, 1985 (aged 88) Hawaii, United States |
| Other names | William W. G. Moir, W. W. G. Moir, William Whitmore Goodale-Moir |
| Education | Punahou School Cornell University (BS) |
| Occupations | Botanist, agricultural technologist |
| Spouse(s) | Elenor Gilchrist Preston May Margaret Arstad (m. 1950–1985; his death) |
William Whitmore Goodale Moir, also known as W. W. G. Moir (1896–1985) was an American botanist and agricultural technologist, who specialized in orchid taxonomy and was a sugar cane argonomist. He worked as an agricultural technologist for American Factors Ltd. (later known as AMFAC).[1]
Life and career
William Whitmore Goodale Moir was born on March 17, 1896, in Pāpaʻikou, Territory of Hawaii.[1][2] His mother was Louisa (née Silver) and; his father was John Troup Moir Sr., a Hawaiian sugar plantation manager at Onomea Sugar Company in Pāpaʻikou.[1][3] He attended high school at Punahou School in Honolulu, in the class of 1910.[1][4]
During World War I, Moir served as a lieutenant in the United States Army at Camp Hancock in Georgia.[1][5] Moir graduated from Cornell University (B.S. 1919) in Ithaca, New York, where he studied agriculture.[1]
Moir returned to Hawaii after college, and worked as an assistant agriculturist at the Experiment Station at the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association.[1] In 1923, Moir was the harvest overseer at Pioneer Mill Company, and resigned from the role in 1925 to become the agricultural technologist for American Factors Ltd. (or AMFAC).[1][3] In 1928, he spoke about the use of molasses as a fertilizer at the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association meeting.[6] He remained working at AMFAC until 1957.[7]
Moir and his wife were known for their extensive gardens at their Dowsett Highlands home in Honolulu, which is registered with the Smithsonian Institute.[7][8] He developed more than 65 new hybrid orchids.[7] He was a member of Hawaiian Botanical Society, the Hawaiian Sugar Technologists, and the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists.[7] Moir served as president of the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens Foundation, and as a trustee and trustee emeritus of the Pacific Tropical Botanical Gardens.[7]
A dendrobium orchid, D. "May Neal," was bred by Moir and named after his second wife May A. Moir.[9]
He died on February 21, 1985, in Hawaii.[7]
Publications
- Moir, W. W. G. (William Whitmore Goodale); Allen, Oscar Nelson; Association of Hawaiian Sugar Technologists (1936). A Handbook on Hawaiian Soils. Association of Hawaiian Sugar Technologists.
- Moir, W. W. G. (William Whitmore Goodale); Moir, May A. (1970). Variegata Oncidiums. Orchids Limited.
- Moir, W. W. Goodale; Moir, May A. (1980). Breeding Variegata Oncidiums. University Press of Hawaii, Harold L. Lyon Arboretum. ISBN 082480712X.
- Moir, William W. G.; Moir, May A. (1982). Creating Oncidiinae Intergenerics. University Press of Hawaii, Harold L. Lyon Arboretum. ISBN 9780824807849.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nellist, George F., ed. (1925). "William Whitmore Goodale Moir". The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Limited. pp. 657–658, 660–661 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hawaii Orchid Journal. Honolulu Orchid Society and Pacific Orchid Society. 1985. p. 13.
- ^ a b Hill, Virginia B. "Moir Family Holds Unique Hawaii Place". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. August 19, 1933. p. 25, 30. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Punahou Graduates". The Hawaiian Star. June 16, 1910. p. 8. Retrieved October 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Congratulations". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. March 17, 1935. p. 6. Retrieved October 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "HSPA Opens Second Session of Annual Meet". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. December 4, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved October 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "William Moir, cane, orchid expert". Honolulu Star-Advertiser (Obituary). February 27, 1985. p. 19. Retrieved October 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Zap, Claudine (May 14, 2015). "Historic Honolulu Home Features Lush, Tropical Garden". Realtor.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ Bornhorst, Heidi (September 16, 2001). "May Moir was friend and mentor to gardeners". The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved October 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Profile on orchidex.org