WILLIAM WATTS was Provost of TCD from 1981 to 1991. Prior to this he was Professor of Botany from 1965. Born in Upper Mayor Street, East Wall, in Dublin he spent his childhood in Athy, Co. Kildare, attending the Model School. His secondary education was at St. Andrew’s College in Dublin. He holds first class degrees in Modern Languages and in Natural Sciences from TCD, where, apart from a period in Hull and as a visiting professor in American universities, he has spent his career. His scientific interests have been in the use of fossil pollen and seeds to reconstruct climate and vegetation cover over the past 2 million years. In addition to his academic and administrative concerns at Trinity College, he was also very active in a wide variety of other institutions. He was President of the Royal Irish Academy, a member of the Board of several Dublin hospitals, Chairman of An Taisce, Chairman of Fota Trust etc etc.