Dr. Loran C Anderson

Loran Crittenden Anderson, born February 7, 1936, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, passed away peacefully on December 24, 2022, at the age of 86. He was preceded in death by his wife, Renée Roueché Anderson, his parents, Melvin and Ruth Crittenden Anderson, and his step-granddaughter, Bonnie Clawson. He is survived by his children Cindy (Blair) Clawson and Perry (Lori) Anderson, seven grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, four brothers, and numerous other relatives.

Loran was Professor Emeritus of Biological Science and former Curator of the Godfrey Herbarium, Florida State University. He received his BS and MS degrees at Utah State University and PhD in plant taxonomy (1962) at Claremont Graduate University in California. Loran (aka Larry) loved plants from his earliest years (his father was a plant breeder of peas and beans for a seed company in Idaho Falls, Idaho). Larry was staff naturalist (as a teenager) for six summers at a boy scout camp in the Teton Mountains where he taught identification of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. He attended graduate school on National Science Foundation scholarships. In college and later, his research interests centered on the rabbitbrush genus Chrysothamnus, shrubs often associated with sagebrush in the western states but with prettier flowers. He worked for over 20 years on the plant anatomy, chromosome biology, habitat preferences, and classification of the group. Fairly recently (after DNA work by others), the genus was divided into four groups, and a new genus was named Lorandersonia to commemorate his work. In Florida he studied the local flora with emphasis on rare and endangered plant species and he served for over 35 years on the Florida Endangered Plant Advisory Council. He also became an authority on the plant anatomy of a not-so-rare plant, Cannabis, and he served as an expert witness in numerous court cases. He discovered and named several plant species new to science. In retirement, he continued to do plant exploration, species surveys and inventories, and identify plants for various consulting groups and government agencies.

Loran spent 16 years serving in the Army Reserve, leaving with the rank of Major. He spent his life faithfully serving in various callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from bishop to counselor in the stake presidency, to Sunday School president in his congregation at the time of his passing. Whether you knew him as Dr. Anderson, Brother Anderson, Larry, or Papa, you knew him as an amiable, intelligent, and witty man who loved wordplay and puns. Though he struggled to stay on pitch, he also had a great love of music and the arts. He enjoyed travel, reading, and continuing to learn about the world. He will be missed by all who were blessed to know him, but we know he is rejoicing to be back with the love of his life, his wife Renée.