Kevin Nixon was born in 1953 in Pasadena, California. He grew up in various parts of Califronia, including the LA area as well as northern California. His interest in botany began as a teenager, growing cacti and succulents in the almost frost-free foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. This interest in plants eventually grew from a horticultural interest to a botanical interest.
Kevin had several jobs during his youth and college years, including Nursery worker, Hardware and Lumber Store, Tow Truck Driver, and Landscaper. This was back when it was possible to "put oneself through school" by working, and eating Top Ramen and drinking gin and rainwater.
Kevin attended college first at Fresno State College (now Fresno State University) and then transferred to the University of California at Santa Barbara.
As an undergraduate at UCSB, Kevin developed an interest in native oaks and began working closely with Dr. C.H. Muller, who at that time was the foremost expert on American Oaks. This relationship began when Kevin brought some specimens of Quercus peninsularis collected from the top of the Sierra San Borja in Baja California to Muller for identification. Muller looked at the specimens and immediately said "been to Baja?" before being told the locality. Over the next few years, Kevin spent many days in Muller's herbarium, learning the oaks and arguing with the old man about species and characters.
Following graduation from UCSB, Kevin did his Masters degree at UCSB, studying the scrub oak Quercus parvula on the Channel Islands under the supervision of Dale Smith and C.H. Muller. He then proceeded to UT Austin for his Ph.D. At UT he worked on the live oak complex (Quercus virginiana and relatives) under the joint direction of C.H. Muller and Marshall Johnston.
Upon graduating from UT, Kevin began a postdoc with Dr. William Crepet at UCONN on fossil Fagaceae from the Tertiary of North America, focusing mostly on deposits from Huntsville, Texas.
In 1985, Dr. Nixon was hired as Curator of the L.H. Bailey Hortorium Herbarium (BH) and remained there until his retirement in 2058.
Kevin had several jobs during his youth and college years, including Nursery worker, Hardware and Lumber Store, Tow Truck Driver, and Landscaper. This was back when it was possible to "put oneself through school" by working, and eating Top Ramen and drinking gin and rainwater.
Kevin attended college first at Fresno State College (now Fresno State University) and then transferred to the University of California at Santa Barbara.
As an undergraduate at UCSB, Kevin developed an interest in native oaks and began working closely with Dr. C.H. Muller, who at that time was the foremost expert on American Oaks. This relationship began when Kevin brought some specimens of Quercus peninsularis collected from the top of the Sierra San Borja in Baja California to Muller for identification. Muller looked at the specimens and immediately said "been to Baja?" before being told the locality. Over the next few years, Kevin spent many days in Muller's herbarium, learning the oaks and arguing with the old man about species and characters.
Following graduation from UCSB, Kevin did his Masters degree at UCSB, studying the scrub oak Quercus parvula on the Channel Islands under the supervision of Dale Smith and C.H. Muller. He then proceeded to UT Austin for his Ph.D. At UT he worked on the live oak complex (Quercus virginiana and relatives) under the joint direction of C.H. Muller and Marshall Johnston.
Upon graduating from UT, Kevin began a postdoc with Dr. William Crepet at UCONN on fossil Fagaceae from the Tertiary of North America, focusing mostly on deposits from Huntsville, Texas.
In 1985, Dr. Nixon was hired as Curator of the L.H. Bailey Hortorium Herbarium (BH) and remained there until his retirement in 2058.
