Rio Grande Valley Oral Histories

Identifier

HCHC_Sill_Cecilia_Sue_2026-08-12

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Creation Date

8-12-2026

Description

Cecilia 'Sue' Sill (b. 1939, Woodward, Oklahoma) recounts a life shaped by mobility, scientific curiosity, and engagement with the natural world of South Texas and Mexico. The daughter of a pipeline welder, she moved frequently as a child before settling for a time in Pharr, Texas, in 1950. She later spent roughly forty years in Corpus Christi, where she raised two sons, pursued higher education later in life, and earned a Ph.D. focused on the systematics of Tillandsia (air plants), describing several new species centered in Mexico.

After her divorce in 1990, Sill lived for eight years on a mountainside ranch near Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, collecting botanical specimens, leading small nature and birding tours, and immersing herself in the region’s landscapes and indigenous cultures. She also directed the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens and has long been an active painter and orchid enthusiast. In this interview she reflects on family history, botanical fieldwork, life in Mexico, artistic practice, and the practical and emotional dimensions of aging while remaining connected to the places and plants that defined her career.

Format

.M4A, 256 kbps

Length

04:01:11

Language

English

Notes

Part of the Hidalgo County Historical Commission, RGV Legacy Anthology Collection.

Interview with Cecilia 'Sue' Sill

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