In 1960, Glass moved to
Los Angeles and developed a passion for
cacti, purchasing a nursery he named "That Cactus Shop". He became editor of the
Cactus and Succulent Journal in 1964, a position that shaped his career. Partnering with
Robert Foster in 1968, the two undertook 18 expeditions to Mexico, discovering or reclassifying dozens of cacti species. They co-owned Abbey Garden Press, co-authored works on
succulents, and collaborated on various botanical endeavors. In 1973, Glass and Foster became co-directors of
Lotusland, where they redesigned the gardens to include significant collections of cacti, succulents,
aloes,
bromeliads, and
cycads. Beyond his botanical pursuits, Glass was a passionate scuba diver and
shell collector, editing
The Conchologist and collecting shells worldwide. Proficient in multiple languages, he translated and performed over 300
Filipino folk songs on television and stage in the Philippines and the U.S. In 1991, he became
curator of
El Charco del Ingenio, a botanical reserve in
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he organized plant exploration expeditions and helped discover 42 new plant species. After leaving in 1997 due to permit restrictions, he began a new non-profit plant research initiative based in his San Miguel, Rancho Alcocer home, in collaboration with Mario Mendoza García. Glass authored several books, including
Cacti and Succulents for the Amateur (with Foster) and
Cacti (with Clive Innes). He served as vice president of the California Cactus Growers and the African Succulent Plant Society. He was also an honorary life member of the
Sociedad Mexicana de Cactología and participated in the
International Organization for Succulent Plant Study. Glass is commemorated in the species
Mammillaria glassii and the shell
Bathyliotina glassi. He died of a
heart attack in 1998, shortly after launching a new research initiative. ==References==