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​1986 Honorary Life Member Inductees​

William R. Corrin*

William R. Corrin was born November 18, 1920 in Long Beach, California. Bill obtained his primary and secondary education at Long Beach and graduated with an A.A. degree from Long Beach Junior College in 1940. He worked as a Naval Ordinance Inspector until 1942 when he enlisted in the Army Air Force. Assigned to the 8th Air Force Command in England, he flew in 30 heavy bomber (B-24) missions over Europe. After his discharge from the service in October 1945, he enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley. After one semester he transferred to the Davis campus and graduated in 1947 with a B.S. degree, major in vegetable crops. Between 1947 and 1956 Bill gained wide experience and knowledge of California agriculture through employment with Asgrow Seed Co., the Pacific Coast Seed Breeding Station, and as a Farm Advisor in Santa Clara County for the University of California Cooperative Extension Service. Bill quickly learned the economic realities associated with farming by growing cotton at Blythe, and raising mushrooms at Morgan Hill, California.

While Bill was learning the ropes of the agricultural industry he married Barbara Bones in San Jose in 1952. Now, 34 years later, they have four grown children: William, an insurance broker; Gary, a professional clarinetist; Janet, a teacher; and Lyn, a court reporter. With four children he and his wife shared their time with Little League games, track meets, band concerts and parades, whatever the children were involved in. The family has been active in the Presbyterian Church, Bill being an Elder in Salinas and also in Pleasanton. Barbara recently retired from teaching.

Upon the recommendation of Dr. Glenn Davis, a former staff member of the Department of Vegetable Crops at Davis, Bill in 1945 entered employment with Granny Goose Foods as a field manager. Today, Bill is Director of Purchasing. During his more than 30 years with Granny Goose, the company has passed through several owners, but Bill has continued to receive support to pursue his interests in research, testing and experimenting with potatoes.

Bill was one of the first people from the chiP industry to become active with The PAA. For years his annual vacation was going to The PAA convention where he always made new friends and learned new things. He was Granny Goose Employee of the Year in 1971. For~ 39 years Bill has managed potato operations for Granny Goose Foods in Bakersfield, Tulelake, Salinas Valley, Chowchilla and Stockton, as well as contracted and purchased potatoes out of most western states. Bill has Served on the Snack Food Association Potato Technology Committee.

Bill has been an enthusiastic supporter of the research by the University of California and of the USDA, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California that stin~ulated research in the area of problem solving and improving the quality of processed potatoes. His participation in studies related to growth regulators, sugar content and changes during post-harvest handling, and the improvement in fertilizer usage have measurably contributed to the quality of potatoes for processing and fresh market. He has generously given his time and experience to help individuals as well as meetings of the Potato Growers Association of California and as a member of their Research Advisory Board.

Bill contributed to the success of the 54th PAA meeting during July 26-30, 1970 at the Riverside campus of the University of California as a member of industry supporting the activities through fund solicitation. He contributed to the success of the 66th meeting during August 1 to 6, 1982 at Monterey, California as a member of the program committee in charge of entertainment. He was an active member of the past Utilization Section in helping them to develop and contribute to their program. He served as a Director of PAA during 1976-77 and on the Finance Committee.

Because of Bill’s efforts and contribution to the maintenance of quality potato production, his assistance in research in California, and for his involvement in the conduct of many PAA functions, it is an honor and pleasure for me to present William R. Corrin for Honorary Life Membership in the Potato Association of America.

~Herman Timm, Nominator

Myron "Mike" D. Groskopp*

Mike Groskopp was born June 24, 1920. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a Captain from 1942-46. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1946 (agricultural education) and his M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1958 (agronomy). Mike was an agricultural instructor at Union Free High School in Frederic, Wisconsin from 1946-1947 and was Polk County Agricultural Agent in Wisconsin from 1947-1955. He served as Superintendent, University Agricultural Experiment Station, Hancock, Wisconsin from 1955-1965. In 1964, he received a special citation from the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association for his outstanding contributions to vegetable crops research during his tenure at the Hancock Station.

Mike served as Director of Raw Materials Research, American Potato Company, from 1966 through 1985 (1966-1974 in Idaho and 1974-1985 in Wisconsin). He was instrumental in the decision of the American Potato Company to begin operations in Wisconsin, the first major potato processor in the state. He was responsible for field research involving plant physiology, weed control, disease and insect problems, soil and fertilizer recommendations, cultural practices, storage problems, irrigation, and varietal testing for the company in Idaho, Washington, and Wisconsin. In this regard, he went far beyond normal company expectations to generate information– information that has been openly shared with research workers, growers and other company representatives to the betterment of the entire potato industry. For example, he has worked closely with several researchers to gain answers that would enhance potato yield and/or quality.

The range of research areas to which he has had a substantial impact include bacterial soft rot potential evaluation of stored potatoes and methods to reduce storage losses; studies on tuber solids in relation to extremes in storage temperatures; factors affecting incidence of pink eye, seed piece decay and leafroll; raw material testing for pesticide residue; effect of cultural practices on storage problems; effects of planting dates on hollow heart; alternate use patterns for aldicarb and aldicarb residue testing in water samples (Wisconsin); evaluation of new cultivars; fungicide studies for control of early and late blight; methods to reduce losses from soil-borne diseases such as verticillium wilt, surface and pit scab, and rhizoctonia; nitric acid in wastewater treatments; studies on internal brown spot on Russet Burbank potatoes; seed potato handling methods; early variety harvesting; controlling reducing sugar levels in stored tubers; studies on early blight of potatoes and methods of control; Mertect use to control fusarium dry rot; and the effect of maleic hydrazide on yield and quality of Russet Burbank potatoes. In 1985, these long-term contributions were recognized as he was again honored by the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association for his outstanding contributions to the Wisconsin potato industry. On April 3, 1986, he received the University of Wisconsin College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Honorary Recognition Award for his outstanding contributions to the agriculture communities of Wisconsin.

Mike is a member of several professional societies including the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, American Phytopathological Society, American Society of AgrOnomy, European Association for Potato Research, and The Potato Association of America. Mike has served on the membership committee (1981-1983; Chair, 1982-1983 ) and the Utilization Section ( Program Chair, 1980 ) of The Potato Association of America. He has participated actively in potato research projects–several of these projects have culminated in coauthored research papers or abstracts in the American Potato Journal or other journals. Mike’s active involvement has extended to the NCR-84 Committee on Potato Genetics Research (Chair, 1980), Wisconsin Potato Industry Board (Chair, Research and Education Steering Committee, 1976-1980), and membership on the State of Wisconsin Pesticide Advisory Council to evaluate groundwater test standards and recommendations regarding heat-treatment of water to destroy aldicarb residue (1982, appointed by the Governor).

Mike exemplifies those qualities that are symbolized by the Honorary Life Membership Award. We are pleased to present Myron D. Groskopp for this award.

~Steven A. Slack, John A. Schoenemann, Arthur Kelman, Thomas R. Owings, Nominators

Edward D. Jones*

Dr. Edward David Jones is an extension plant pathologist at Cornell University. Since 1961 he has had responsibility for the New York State Foundation and Certified Seed Programs. The capstone of his career is the creation of the Uihlein Foundation Seed Potato Farm at Lake Placid, New York. He has worked very effectively with Mr. and Mrs. Henry Uihlein III, the New York Foundation Seed Growers, and New York Department of Agriculture and Markets to develop an integrated laboratory and farm seed program to provide a consistent supply of elite quality seed. This program of pathogen testing, in vitro multiplication, greenhouse tuber production, with subsequent multiplication in isolated field plots of seed potatoes has served as a model for other seed programs. Ed, with some very important help from his wife, Barbara, has been very quick to adopt new methods of disease testing and in vitro plant culture. He has never compromised his objective of the ultimate in seed quality and has successfully created the facilities to achieve this goal. Ed Jones has made the name “Uihlein Seed” synonymous with outstanding quality. The result has been a benefit to the New York seed industry and brought recognition to Mr. Uihlein for his important role in making Ed’s dream a reality.

Ed’s leadership in quality seed potato programs has earned him a bronze plaque from the New York seed growers in 1979, a Man-of-the-Year Service Award from the New Brunswick, Canada seed potato growers in 1982, the Distinguished Service Citation by the New York Agricultural Society in 1984, and in the same year, a Certificate of Appreciation from the USDA for “outstanding cooperation with Federal Agencies in the golden nematode program.”

Ed has been a career-long member of The PAA. He was a director from 1971-74, vice-president in 1981-82, president-elect in 1982-83, and president in 1983-84. He has been chairman of both the Certification and Pathology sections. He has served on several PAA committees; perhaps most significantly, he was chairman of the Certification Sections Committee to develop a National Seed Potato Grade in 1970-72. The result of this work was the original document which set the standards for the first national seed potato grade. These standards were enacted into law and became effective in 1972. He is currently a member of a committee which has been established to revise these standards. Ed is a native of Wisconsin. He was born in Rockland and earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin. During World War II he was B-17 pilot in the 8th Air Force in Europe, where he completed 33 missions before returning to the U.S. From 1947-53 while he was a graduate student, he worked as an inspector in the Wisconsin potato certification program. Following graduation in 1953, Ed accepted a position as plant pathologist with Red Dot Foods, Inc. Ed joined the Plant Pathology Department at Cornell in 1958 as an Assistant Professor, and is currently a Professor in that Department.

Ed has also a life-long interest in sports. He earned letters in baseball and basketball at the University of Wisconsin and has been active in youth programs at Ithaca as coach and manager. In more recent years, ice hockey has been his greatest interest. He served as an off-ice official at the 1980 Olympic games.

Ed and Barbara have four children and four grandchildren.

~​Robert L. Plaisted, Nominator

Stanley J. Peloquin*

Stanley Peloquin was born in Barron, Wisconsin in 1921. He received his B.S. degree with a major in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls in 1942. World War II interrupted his academic career. He spent four years in the U.8. Navy from 1942-46. Thereafter, he resumed his academic career receiving an M.8. degree from Marquette University with a major in biology in 1948, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, majoring in genetics in 1949 and 1952, respectively.

Upon completion of his graduate studies, 8tan returned to Marquette University where he taught biology” from 1952-1956. In 1957, his research career in potatoes began. He joined the USDA, Agricultural Research Service as a plant geneticist with the IR-1 Inter-Regional Potato Introduction Project with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin. In 1963, he became Professor of Genetics and Horticulture and assumed responsibility for leading the University of Wisconsin potato genetics and breeding program.

Stan put his talents as a geneticist to good use in his potato research. Initially, he, along with Dr. R.W. Hougas, pursued the development of procedures to extract haploids from potato cultivars and to study their use in potato genetics, breeding, male and female fertility, crossability studies, etc. The induction of haploids also enabled access to other tuber-bearing diploid species which constitute the bulk of the available germplasm.

Research by Stan and his students in the use of haploid-diploid species hybrids in 4x-2x crosses led to a new research arena in potato genetics and breeding. First of all, tremendous vigor and yielding ability were found in some combinations. Furthermore, certain diploid parents were found which produced almost all tetraploids when used in 4x-2x crosses. This was found to be a result of unreduced 2n gamete formation brought about by 3 mechanisms, parallel spindles giving First Division Restitution and 2 types of premature cytokinesis giving Second Division Restitution. Breeding schemes maximizing heterozygosity in potato breeding were subsequently developed. Spinoffs continue from these basic researches. They include implications of 2n gametes in polyploidy, modes of 2n egg formation, gene-centromere mapping using 2n gametes and true potato seed technology for use in Third World countries.

Stan has maintained that he is primarily a cytogeneticist. Nevertheless, he developed four cultivars: Wischip, Oneida, Rhinered, and Langlade. He also promoted Superior, a major cultivar in the United States. He is an enthusiastic, articulate, and highly capable teacher. He has advised 26 Ph.D. and 17 M.S. students. Many of these were from foreign countries and are now in positions of leadership. He has published 93 referred scientific journal articles of which 27 were published in the American Potato Journal.

Stan has been recognized and honored by his peers. He was the recipient of Campbell-Bascom Professorship in 1983, elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1984, and received the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders Genetics and Plant Breeding Award in 1985.

For his impact and contribution to potato genetics and breeding, development of new information, training of students, and his contributions to the industry, I am pleased and honored to present Stanley J. Peloquin for Honorary Life Membership in The Potato Association of America.

~Florian I. Lauer, Nominator