This paper was written in 1984 by Herb Conant, who
was the Historian for the Michigan Botanical Club. It has been posted here without significant
abridgement and only a few editorial updates. After all, this is an early history of the
club. The updates and this brief explanation are included with the original appendices to
Mr. Conant's paper as hypertext appendices at
the end of the document.
Dan Skean, State Vice President
Michigan Botanical Club
May 15, 1998
Mr. Herbert Conant was a long time member of The Michigan
Botanical Club. He was born May 5, 1905 in Denton, Michigan, son of Eugene W.
and Ella Mae (Glass) Conant. He was a descendent of a Michigan Pioneer Family.
His grandfather, Samuel Y. Denton, established the town of Denton,
Michigan. He
later moved his family home from the Willow Run Airport area to Plymouth and it is
registered with the Register of Historical Houses. In addition to The Michigan Botanical
Club, Mr. Conant was a member of Salem Farmer's Club and Salem Area Historical Society.
He was the Market Master for the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market from the late 1960's to
1973. Mr. Conant had a great love for the outdoors and led many wildflower
hikes. Beyond his love of farming, Mr. Conant also pursued a formal education,
graduating in 1920 from Michigan Normal College (Eastern Michigan University) with a
teaching certificate. Later he attended Michigan State University and received a
Bachelor of Science degree in Botany and also did graduate work in Botany. He was a
substitute teacher for Plymouth Junior High and High Schools. He was married to
Olive (Neubert) Conant and they had four children, John Bruce, James and Cynthia. He
was buried on October 13, 1999 at Denton Cemetery.
Written by Judy Kelly with information from the Ann Arbor News.
This page updated on
08/19/04
