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Dr. James N. Layne has been a significant contributor to science in Florida since his arrival in 1955 as faculty at University of Florida, and he served the Florida Academy of Sciences from the 1960s well into the early 2000s. His active participation on the FAS Council began in 1962 with his appointment as a counselor-at-large. Dr. Layne was President in 1984-1985. He was the first chair (1987) of the Academy's Florida Endowment for the Sciences and was an endowment trustee until 2002. His involvement with the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals transitioned to FAS when the committee became a section of the Academy. His contributions to science in Florida were recognized by the Academy when he was named the 1995 FAS Medalist. At the time, a colleague wrote that Jim Layne "represents the best qualities of a Florida scientist - dedication, hard work, giving of one's self unselfishly for the benefit of others, sharing expertise and wisdom."
Jim Layne was born in Chicago, IL, on 16 May 1926. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force (reserve, 1943-44: active duty, 1944-46). He was discharged August, 1946, and immediately enrolled at Chicago City Junior College (1946-47). He then transferred to Cornell University where he earned his B.A. (1947-50) and Ph.D. (1950-54) degrees. His Ph.D. dissertation on the biology of the red squirrel in central New York, published (1954) in Ecological Monographs, is considered a classic. On 25 August 1950, Jim married Lois Linderoth, of Chicago, and on 22-30 December 1952, Jim and Lois made their first visit to Archbold Biological Station for a week of mammal collecting.
Jim held faculty positions at Southern Illinois University (1954-55), University of Florida (1955-63), and Cornell University (1963-67). In June 1967, Jim left Academia to spend the rest of his career at Archbold Biological Station, an independent research institution founded by Richard Archbold in 1941. Jim held four appointments at Archbold; the first Director of Research (1967-76), the first Executive Director (1976-85), Senior Research Biologist (1976-93), and Senior Research Biologist Emeritus (1993-2017).
During his first stay in Florida as Assistant and Associate Professor of Biology at UF, Jim was also Curator of Mammals at the Florida State Museum. While at Gainesville, Jim was major professor...