​2026 Honorary Life Member Inductees​

Charlie Higgins

Charlie thanks the wonderful people in the potato world that helped him found and sustain the Ethiopian Sustainable Food Project that established and maintains a clean seed potato program for small farmers.

During graduate school he worked for Colorado State University in seed certification and extension work. After graduate school Charlie worked on a team that developed a large, irrigated farm for the Navajo Nation and started a potato program there. Charlie has worked in potato variety development and farm management across the United States and around the world. Over the past 50 years, he has mentored more than 100 interns. Many went on to become academics or managers of large farms, while others realized that seven-day-a-week farm management was not the right fit for them. Before 2007 the chip growers paid fees but did not have a program. Gregg Halverson, Dick Pavelski and Jason Walther helped found the Potatoes USA chip variety development program. Charlie worked for Potatoes USA with John Lundeen, Chris Long, twelve university breeders and chip processors for many years.

Most importantly Charlie feels lucky to have a fantastic wife of 57 years, two kids, seven grandkids and five great grandkids. Charlies’ wife Judy served with him as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ethiopia from 1969 to 1971. Charlie’s son decided to switch from potato disease to human disease after watching Late Blight turn a field into a stinky mess. His daughter and son-in-law managed his farm until irrigation water ran out and they found success in other careers. Charlie thanks all his many mentors that helped him along the way.

Mark Pavek

Mark Pavek was born and raised in Idaho and attended his first Potato Association of America annual meeting in 1972 at the age of six in Twin Falls, Idaho as an accompanying family member. He became a professional PAA member in 1997 and has since only missed one annual meeting. He attended the University of Idaho (BS Agribusiness, BS Crop Management, MS Weed Science) and Washington State University (PhD Potato Agronomy). A Professor at Washington State University, Dr. Pavek conducts agronomic and variety development research on potatoes. For 26 years, he has used his research results to provide outreach to the industry, aiding in their potato production and marketing. He is a Principal Investigator in the Northwest Potato Variety Development Program and has been instrumental in the release of 30 potato varieties. Dr. Pavek has led and served the PAA as Past President, President, Vice President, President Elect, Exec Committee Director, Phys and Prod Sections Chair, Local Arrangements Committee Chair, and Grad Student Committee member. Dr. Pavek has authored or co-authored 55 articles in the American Journal of Potato Research. He has mentored 16 graduate students as their Major Advisor and 18 as a graduated committee member. Twenty-four of those graduate students have or will compete in the annual PAA graduate student competition. His favorite thing about the PAA is the large, extended “family” of level-headed potato folks. He enjoys spending his off time with his wife Pamela and their family, friends, and Labrador retrievers.

Asunta "Susie" Thompson

I grew up on a certified seed potato farm, participating in FFA and 4-H and am a 5th generation certified seed potato grower. I earned my BSc and MSc from North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Agronomy, and Horticulture and Forestry, respectively, and my PhD from the University of Idaho in Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences. I had the opportunity to work on the NDSU potato breeding program with Bob Johansen, at UI Aberdeen with Steve Love, and for Colorado State University as a potato agronomist. I have been the potato breeder at NDSU since 2001. I was presented with the Meritorious Service Award by the National Potato Council in 2012, and the Meritorious Service Award by the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in 2012. Sigma Alpha (NDSU chapter) named me Ag Woman of the Year in 2013. In 2024, I was named the first Johansen-Thompson Endowed Professor in Potato Breeding. I have been a member of the Potato Association of America since 1986, attending my first meeting at Cornell, and am active in the Breeding and Genetics, Physiology, and the Production Management sections serving on the executive committee for all sections. I have been an LAC co-chair for annual meetings in both CO and ND, served as a Director of our association, and the chair of the Site Selection Committee for about a decade. I’m the mom of 5, grandmother of 8, and love to do anything outdoors, garden, read, run, hunt, and cheer on NDSU Bison athletics teams.

Robert B. "Bob" Dwelle (1946-2016)

Dr. Robert B. “Bob” Dwelle devoted his career to advancing potato science through research, teaching, and service. After graduating from Carleton College in 1970 and earning a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from the University of Montana in 1974, he joined the University of Idaho as a potato physiologist at the Aberdeen Experiment Station. Known affectionately as “Dr. Spud,” Dr. Dwelle combined rigorous field research with a practical commitment to growers, processors, students, and colleagues.

He later moved to Moscow, Idaho, where he became a respected educator, mentor, and chair of Plant Science in the College of Agriculture. He created the University of Idaho’s undergraduate and graduate course Potato Science 490/590, helping prepare students for careers in potato science and agriculture around the world.

Dr. Dwelle’s research made lasting contributions to understanding potato physiology, including photosynthesis, assimilate partitioning, sugar metabolism, bruising, chipping quality, and storage longevity. His widely cited chapter, “Potato Photosynthesis and Photoassimilate Partitioning,” remains an influential resource in the field. A dedicated member of the Potato Association of America, he encouraged students to participate in professional communities and helped connect academic research with real-world agricultural practice. Dr. Dwelle passed away in 2016 and is remembered as a gifted scientist, generous mentor, and kind colleague whose legacy continues to shape potato science and education.