 He carried out graduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis, where he received his Ph.D. in 1952 under the direction of Edgar Anderson.He was primarily trained in plant systematics and taxonomy, with a focus on the caper family ("Capparaceae") and the spider-flower family ("Cleomaceae").His first academic appointment was at the University of Arkansas from 1952 to 1955, and here he completed a study of the "Capparaceae" of Nevada.