In Memoriam
Webster Wayne Wilcox
Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Emeritus
UC Berkeley
1938-2018
W. Wayne Wilcox grew up in Berkeley, attended Berkeley High School, and began his undergraduate education at UC Berkeley, aspiring to a career as a park ranger. He received his B.S. in forestry at Cal in 1960. He went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, where he earned his M.S. (1962) and Ph.D. (1965) in plant pathology. Wayne joined the research and teaching staff of UC Berkeley at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), located at the Richmond Field Station, during the fall of 1964. He was no stranger to the FPL, as he had worked there part-time during his undergraduate years at Berkeley, an experience which played a large role in his decision to redirect his career goals towards plant pathology. Wayne was initially hired as a researcher in the Agricultural Experiment Station and a lecturer. In July of 1975, with the growth of the wood science and technology undergraduate and graduate programs, his appointment was converted to a faculty position.
Initially, Wayne’s research focused on increasing the efficiency with which California’s timber harvest was utilized, primarily investigating the influence of biological factors such as decay and bacteria. Some of his research projects focused on the standing tree while others had more of a product focus. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Wayne’s research interests began to change, and he began to focus on the durability of wood and wood-based composite products used in single- and multi-family housing. Wayne’s expertise in the fundamentals of wood decay grew as a result of his research in this area. Wayne was best known, and will be long-remembered, for his contributions to understanding factors related to fungal decay of wood products used in the built environment. Building on the expertise in microtechnique and optical microscopy he had begun to acquire as an undergraduate, he developed new techniques for the analysis of decay in wood using scanning electron microscopy as well as nondestructive testing techniques. In addition to his research program, Wayne was an active participant in the outreach activities of the Wood Building Research Center, a Cooperative Extension program which was also housed at the FPL. Wayne was also appointed to serve on the State of California Structural Pest Control Board between 1979 and 1981.
Wayne was an active member of a number of honorary and professional societies, including Xi Sigma Pi, an international honor society for forestry and related sciences; the Forest Products Society (from which he was awarded the 1965 Wood Award); the Society of Wood Science and Technology; the American Institute for Biological Sciences; the International Association of Wood Anatomists; and the International Academy of Wood Science (of which he was an elected fellow).
Wayne was also the recipient of a Fulbright-Hays Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship, which took him to the University of Hamburg, Germany, for his first sabbatical leave during 1973-74. Wayne enjoyed one other sabbatical at the University of Hawaii during 1983-84. He enjoyed that sabbatical so much that he waited to return to California on a red-eye flight the night before the first day of class. He taught class the next morning.
Teaching was always very important to Wayne and, based on student reviews, he was clearly very good at it. He offered classes both in his home department and a “built environment” class in the Department of Landscape Architecture. His efforts in teaching this latter class resulted in a 1991 book that he wrote with two co-authors, Wood as a Building Material: A Guide for Designers and Builders (John Wiley & Sons).
Wayne had a lovely baritone singing voice, which the Berkeley community benefited from, beginning with his performances as an undergraduate in the UC Men’s Octet and the Glee Club. He went on to sing with the Faculty Club Monks, the Sacramento Opera’s chorus, and the Gold Rush Chorus. At his memorial service, representatives of all three groups performed, many dressed to reflect Wayne’s proclivity for bright aloha shirts.
Wayne retired from the University in January, 2001, and was appointed as professor emeritus. He and his wife moved to the Sierra foothills, east of Sacramento. Wayne continued to support activities at the FPL until it closed in 2002, and he continued consulting on projects involving wood decay in buildings.
Wayne is survived by his wife, Margaret, daughter Melissa and spouse, son Wynn and spouse, and two grandchildren.
Stephen Quarles
Keith Gilless
2020
Initially, Wayne’s research focused on increasing the efficiency with which California’s timber harvest was utilized, primarily investigating the influence of biological factors such as decay and bacteria. Some of his research projects focused on the standing tree while others had more of a product focus. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Wayne’s research interests began to change, and he began to focus on the durability of wood and wood-based composite products used in single- and multi-family housing. Wayne’s expertise in the fundamentals of wood decay grew as a result of his research in this area. Wayne was best known, and will be long-remembered, for his contributions to understanding factors related to fungal decay of wood products used in the built environment. Building on the expertise in microtechnique and optical microscopy he had begun to acquire as an undergraduate, he developed new techniques for the analysis of decay in wood using scanning electron microscopy as well as nondestructive testing techniques. In addition to his research program, Wayne was an active participant in the outreach activities of the Wood Building Research Center, a Cooperative Extension program which was also housed at the FPL. Wayne was also appointed to serve on the State of California Structural Pest Control Board between 1979 and 1981.
Wayne was an active member of a number of honorary and professional societies, including Xi Sigma Pi, an international honor society for forestry and related sciences; the Forest Products Society (from which he was awarded the 1965 Wood Award); the Society of Wood Science and Technology; the American Institute for Biological Sciences; the International Association of Wood Anatomists; and the International Academy of Wood Science (of which he was an elected fellow).
Wayne was also the recipient of a Fulbright-Hays Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship, which took him to the University of Hamburg, Germany, for his first sabbatical leave during 1973-74. Wayne enjoyed one other sabbatical at the University of Hawaii during 1983-84. He enjoyed that sabbatical so much that he waited to return to California on a red-eye flight the night before the first day of class. He taught class the next morning.
Teaching was always very important to Wayne and, based on student reviews, he was clearly very good at it. He offered classes both in his home department and a “built environment” class in the Department of Landscape Architecture. His efforts in teaching this latter class resulted in a 1991 book that he wrote with two co-authors, Wood as a Building Material: A Guide for Designers and Builders (John Wiley & Sons).
Wayne had a lovely baritone singing voice, which the Berkeley community benefited from, beginning with his performances as an undergraduate in the UC Men’s Octet and the Glee Club. He went on to sing with the Faculty Club Monks, the Sacramento Opera’s chorus, and the Gold Rush Chorus. At his memorial service, representatives of all three groups performed, many dressed to reflect Wayne’s proclivity for bright aloha shirts.
Wayne retired from the University in January, 2001, and was appointed as professor emeritus. He and his wife moved to the Sierra foothills, east of Sacramento. Wayne continued to support activities at the FPL until it closed in 2002, and he continued consulting on projects involving wood decay in buildings.
Wayne is survived by his wife, Margaret, daughter Melissa and spouse, son Wynn and spouse, and two grandchildren.
Stephen Quarles
Keith Gilless
2020
