James Maurice Naylor was born in Hawarden, Saskatchewan on February 22, 1920. Following service with the RCAF during World War II, he entered the University of Saskatchewan, earning a BSA (1949) and an M.Sc. (1950). He continued his postgraduate work at the University of Wisconsin, receiving a PhD in botany in 1953. He joined the University of Saskatchewan in 1953 as Assistant Professor in Agriculture, and moved to the Department of Biology in 1961. He was promoted to Full Professor in 1964 and was named Head of the Department in 1968, a position which he held for five years. Professor Naylor instigated the Division of Life Sciences, and, with Ray Skinner, formed the Saskatoon Committee for the Control of Radiation Hazards. He also served as Chairman of the Faculty Association. He died in Saskatoon on September 5, 1984.
