Throughout the years, clergymen—“Men of the cloth”—have contributed much to the sum total of botanical knowledge. In the 16th century, Otto Brunfels, Jerome Bock, and Wiliam Turner, were eminent pioneers in plant taxonomy. In the 17th century, the puritan divine, John Ray, did such significant work that he has been considered “the greatest European botanist of the 17th century.” In the 18th century Stephen Hales performed his brilliant, revealing experiments in plant physiology, and in the 19th century, Gregor Mendel, in his studies of inheritance, laid the foundations of modern genetics. All of these servants of the church are better known as botanists than they are as clergymen. There were many others employed as ministers who made plant study a hobby and became widely known through their accomplishments in the field of botany. Among these was the Rev. Fred WV. Gray, so well and favorably known among his many friends as “Parson” Gray.