death_date birth_place awards fields birth_date residence article_title name
27 may 2010 devonport obe , botany , biography 10 april 1919 christchurch eric godley
 eric john godley
eric godley

eric john godley -lrb- 10 may 1919 -- 27 june 2010 -rrb- bsc , msc -lrb- nz -rrb- , phd -lrb- cantab . -rrb-
, obe , frsnz , hon fls , hon dsc -lrb- cantuar . -rrb-
, ahrnzih was a new zealand botanist and academic biographer .
he is best known for his long-running series of in the popular magazine `` new zealand gardener '' and his `` biographical notes '' series that ran in the `` new zealand botanical society newsletter '' and which is the prime resource on the lives of many new zealand botanists .
born in the auckland suburb of devonport to parents rupert and louise e. godley , godley grew up in auckland and did his bsc at msc at auckland university college , followed by service in world war ii and a phd at cambridge in cytology and genetics under ronald fisher .
he returned to lecture at auckland before moving to the department of scientific and industrial research at lincoln , rising to director of the botany division 1958 -- 1981 .
his work included three trips to the new zealand subantarctic islands on three occasions , including the antipodes islands , the auckland islands and campbell island .
these islands and the geographically separated flora and fauna are botanically important as studies in dispersion and evolution of plants and animals .
