From Sports to Herbariums: Dr. Powell’s Countless Contributions to Botany

By: Lillian Stewart, Skyline Intern

ALPINE- As a young Dr. Michael Powell walked into his botany class, convinced he was only there to receive credits for his planned career in sports. He never would have suspected he would fall in love with the field and become an accomplished botanist.. Let alone be a part of the discovery of an entirely new plant.

Dr. Powell is the current director and curator of the Sul Ross Herbarium and an expert botanist with a list of accomplishments, publications, and awards. His efforts contributed to the Sul Ross Herbarium’s title as the fourth-largest herbarium in the state of Texas. According to Dr. Powell, it houses “the best collection of plants in existence for the northern area of the Chihuahuan Desert.” Despite his amazing accomplishments, Dr. Powell remains rather unnoticed among the local community, living a simple life with his wife, Shirley Powell, as they continue to build on the legacy of the Sul Ross Herbarium.

His list of contributions continues to build. Back in February of this year, he took part in the recent discovery of the “Wooly Devil,” an entirely new plant genus found in Big Bend National Park that flooded the news.

Dr. Powell began his career as a Sul Ross undergraduate athlete. “I was minoring in Biology and majoring in Physical Education at the time, as most athletes do,” Dr. Powell said. “I guess I didn't know what else to do, I was just doing what everybody else did.” As Dr. Powell looked through the required academic credits, he decided to join a Plant Taxonomy class, not knowing just how much this decision would end up changing his future.

“I got really interested in plants because of a professor here…. Dr. Barton Warnock,” he said.“If you didn't realize, this building (Warnock Science Building) is named after him.”

Dr. Powell’s love for plants and fieldwork began to flourish, and he pursued his PhD after encouragement from professors. He earned his PhD in 1963 from the University of Texas in Austin. His education there eventually sent him on a dissertation project in the Chihuahuan Desert. “I went from here, down south into Mexico, and then all over Mexico,” Dr. Powell said. “Both of us (he and his wife) have traveled a lot through the years.”

After his travels around the Chihuahuan Desert area, Dr. Powell eventually returned to Sul Ross, where he taught for 40 years. He taught more than 20 different courses, watching as students grew and flourished under his guidance.

“The best thing is teaching students, that's what you may not realize,” he said. He held numerous positions in the Sul Ross Biology Department, starting as an Assistant Professor of Biology in 1963, and eventually becoming Curator of the Sul Ross Herbarium, a position he has held since 1979. Even after his retirement in 2003, Dr. Powell continued his work as the herbarium curator. Alongside his teachings, Dr. Powell has also been affiliated with the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute and numerous other scientific organizations. When asked why he continued his work in the herbarium after retirement, he said, “This place happens to be a really important scientific resource in the United States…that's one reason I stayed, too, is because there is something really important to be done here.”

As an author, Dr. Powell has published numerous books, journals, and other writings regarding his knowledge. His wife, Shirley Powell, assisted him as a co-author in a wide range of his publications. Many of their books have received awards and acknowledgments from the scientific community, including multiple Donovan Stewart Correll Awards for excellence in scientific writing. “I started working on books because it doesn't put any pressure on you, you can do them when you want to,” he said.

With such significant accomplishments, it's no surprise that his knowledge and expertise were requested when a volunteer at the Big Bend National Park’s Botany program stumbled upon a never-before-seen plant. Volunteer Deb Manly discovered the Wooly Devil while exploring a remote area of the park. After notifying others, a team of researchers was formed to uncover what the strange plant was. “When they asked me to get involved, I could tell right away it was something new and different,” Dr. Powell said. “We actually formed a whole team of people that were helping them out.” Dr. Powell was sent remnants of the plant and created the initial and original manuscript for it. After a DNA specialist became involved with the discovery, they soon realized that the Wooly Devil was more special than it seemed. The plant was found to not only be a new species but to also have an entirely new genus type never seen before.

“It was a really unique discovery,” Dr. Powell said. “I was glad to take part in some of it.” Dr. Powell remarked that his field of expertise has always been something he loved, and he always saw it as both work and fun. “Being right here in the heart of the most botanically diverse area in the state is where I wanted to be,” he recalled. “There wasn't any other place I wanted to go.”