Bishop, William Charles Eli (1922 - 1989)

Born at Portsmouth, England, 29 October 1922 and died in the Sydney area, NSW 18 March 1989. 

By occupation he was an electrical engineer.

In retirement from 1982-89 he was a volunteer worker at the National Herbarium of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens. An eulogy by the Herbarium included -

'The Public Reference Collection in its present form is largely the result of the enthusiasm and dedication of the late Bill Bishop, who worked as a volunteer on the collection over a period of several years. His death on March 18, 1989 brought his close association with the Herbarium to a close, but his dynamic personality and deep involvement with the collection will not be forgotten.

'Bill worked on the Public Reference Collection right from its early days and participated in all aspects of the project from travelling the State collecting plants to processing, labelling and mounting specimens back at the Herbarium. His computing skills proved invaluable in organising the documentation of the collection.

When Bill first came to work at the Herbarium his botanical knowledge was very limited, but his new found interest became a great challenge to him. With typical enthusiasm and perseverance, his knowledge increased rapidly. Bill could relate, therefore, to many of the 'first-time' users of the Public Reference Collection who were interested in improving their identification skills. He delighted in making them feel welcome and at ease, encouraging them and helping when needed. He believed in the value of the collection as an educational tool. Bill's good work is continued today by several volunteers, some who worked alongside Bill before his death'.