YARBOROUGH, Sharon C(lare) 1937-

PERSONAL: Born March 23, 1937, in Suffern, NY; daughter of Fredrick Leslie and Muriel (a nurse; maiden name, Peterson; later surname, Long) Keesler; married John Macdonald, 1955 (marriage ended, 1963); married Keith Yarborough (a professor), 1963; children: (first marriage) Stanley, William Scott, Edith Theresa. Ethnicity: "White—Irish/German." Education: Yavapai Community College, A.A., 1971; Prescott College, B.A. (with honors), 1973; attended University of New Mexico, 1982-87, and Sul Ross State University, 1992-95. Politics: "Conservative." Religion: Unity-Christian.

ADDRESSES: Home and offıce—701 North Second St., Alpine, TX 79830. E-mail—sharony@overland. net.

CAREER: New Mexico State Heritage Program, management analyst, 1977-79; freelance botanist, teacher, wildflower photographer, and consultant, 1980-91; Sul Ross State University, Alpine, TX, assistant curator at herbarium, 1995—.

WRITINGS:

(With A. Michael Powell) Ferns and Fern Allies of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas, illustrated by Jane W. Roller and Ellen Ruggia, photographs by Petei Zelazny, Texas Tech University Press (Lubbock, TX), 2002.

Contributor to scientific journals.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Good Vibrations, on "vibrational essences," completion expected in 2008; research on holistic healing, cosmology, and psychology.

SIDELIGHTS: Sharon C. Yarborough told CA: "My primary reason for writing is to impart information. I am a botanist and plant taxonomist and was studying the interesting xeric (dry adapted) ferns of the Trans-Pecos area of Texas. My mentor (and subsequent coauthor) A. Michael Powell had already published two books dealing with segments of the flora of the Trans-Pecos and was working on a third. He suggested that I put the knowledge that I was gaining about the ferns of the area into a book which would join his other publications in the 'Flora of Trans-Pecos' series.

"The study, writing, and publishing process for our book took ten years from start to finish, as I went from knowing nothing about ferns to becoming the local expert. Pressed herbarium specimens of fern collections from the Trans-Pecos made over the past hundred years were studied in depth. Literature dealing with fern taxonomy and collection sites was consulted. Sites of fern occurrences were visited. The book format I used closely followed the previously published works by my coauthor, who also contributed the front matter and edited the book to conform to the high standards of his previous writings.

"I tried to make the book as informative, complete, and user-friendly as possible, while keeping the scientific information accurate and detailed. My purpose was to provide a publication that the interested layperson could use with relative ease, and at the same time be useful to the trained scientist. I really wanted to get people who were looking at plants in our area excited about our fascinating and unique ferns.

"Currently I am working on a book about vibrational essences. These holistic healing tools include flower essences such as Bach remedies and gem elixirs. The book will be the culmination of my twenty-five years of work, research, and study in this area, and will be a practical guide to all aspects of making and using vibrational essences."