Brother Daniel Lynch was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 28, 1921. His education includes an A.B. in English from the University of Detroit in 1943, an M.S. in Botany from Michigan State University in 1948 and a Ph.D in Botany from Washington State University in 1952. He became a Brother of Holy Cross in 1954, the same year he came to St. Edward's University to teach biological science. In addition to his teaching duties, Brother Daniel was rector of Holy Cross and Premont Halls and Director of the St. Edward's Alumni Association. Brother Daniel was widely known in the Austin environmental community and was consulted as an expert in the efforts to save the historic Treaty Oak after it was poisoned. He was elected to a fellowship in the Texas Academy of Science and served as vice chairman of the Citizens Board of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality of the City of Austin. Brother Daniel retired from teaching at St. Edward's in 1996 and died in 1997 after a brief illness.