Dates

• Existence: 1921 - 1997

Biography

Brother Daniel Lynch was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 28, 1921 to Daniel Lynch, Sr. and Claire Lynch née Langlois. He had three younger siblings: John, Martha, and Mary. From 1935-1939, he attended Catholic Central High in Detroit and graduated in June 1939. Brother Daniel began his collegiate career at the University of Detroit with a major in English and a minor in philosophy. He graduated in June 1943, receiving his A.B. degree. Brother Daniel then attended Michigan State University from 1943-1945 and 1947-1948. He was drafted in 1945, served as a secretary in the U.S. Army Air Corps and achieved the rank of Sergeant. In 1946, he was sent to Japan as part of the United States’ Military Occupation Force. After being honorably discharged, he returned to finish his Master’s degree. In June 1948, he graduated from Michigan State with a M.S. degree in Botany and a minor in education. From 1948 to 1952, Brother Daniel attended Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. He studied Botany and soil science, earning his PhD in 1952. After his education, Brother Daniel chose to take vows to become a brother in the Roman Catholic Church. To begin his training, he entered Sacred Heart Juniorate in Watertown, Wisconsin where he lived from September 1952 to February 1953. On February 1, 1953, he entered the next step in his training, the novitiate stage and moved to St. Joseph Novitiate in Rolling Prairie, Indiana. On February 2, 1954, he made his first profession and officially became a brother in the Church. He was sent by the Brothers to St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas where he taught biology from 1954 until 1996. While living in Austin, Brother Daniel participated in a variety of activities outside of the classroom. He was a visiting professor at other institutions like Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina. In Austin, he was appointed to the Urban Forestry Task Force on Oak Wilt in 1986 and served until 1993 as it dealt with the Oak Wilt infecting trees in the Austin area. Brother Daniel was also involved in saving the Treaty Oak after it was poisoned in 1989. After retiring in 1996, Brother Daniel was named a professor emeritus of biology and continued with his project, “Too Much of Texas.” Brother Daniel died in Austin, Texas, September 13, 1997 from complications related to his heart surgery from earlier that year.

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