Neil Towers

He was born in Bombay, India and was the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel George William Towers D.S.O., O.B.E. (Royal Engineers).

His scientific curiosity was aroused by the vast array of insect, plant and reptile life in the tropical climate of Burma where his mother Kathleen Mary Thompson had been born. His mother's family had lived continuously in Burma since the late 18th century.

During World War II he served with distinction in the Royal Navy aboard Corvettes reaching the rank of Lieutenant. After obtaining his PhD at Cornell University in 1954, he worked at McGill University and the National Research Council of Canada before being recruited to the University of British Columbia as Head of the Botany Department.

• Professor George Hugh Neil Towers, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. Botanical Electronic News, 337. Accessed online: 20 February 2010.
• Science.ca profile. Accessed online: 20 February 2010.