Retiring faculty honored for 2023

Five retired faculty from the Department of Plant Sciences will be honored for their outstanding scholarship, the global impact of their contributions to their fields, their service, their expansive teaching and their generous mentoring. A dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, April 28, in the UC Davis Conference Center.

Department Chair Gail Taylor will host the festivities. Current faculty will introduce the honorees.

John Yoder

Yoder earned a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in human medical genetics. After work in Germany and the former Soviet Union, he was hired four decades ago by the UC Davis Department of Vegetable Crops. Now a professor emeritus, he has helped pioneer the discovery of molecular genetic mechanisms governing plant-to-plant interactions, developing crop plants that are genetically resistant to parasitic weeds. Yoder will be introduced by Distinguished Professor Abhaya Dandekar.

Kent Bradford

Bradford earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in biochemistry and horticulture from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in plant physiology from UC Davis. He started with the Department of Vegetable Crops in 1981, later serving as chair. He founded the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center and was interim director of the World Food Center. He focused on physiology, seed quality, ethics and science philosophy. He retired a distinguished professor emeritus in 2019. Bradford will be introduced by Distinguished Professor Alan Bennett.

Robert Hutmacher

Hutmacher earned a B.S. in agronomy from UC Davis, an M.S in soil physics from Texas A&M, and a Ph.D. in crop physiology from Texas Tech University. He focused on resistance to Fusarium in cotton, and researched water stress and irrigation management in alfalfa, sorghum, potential biofuels and other crops. He was a professor of UC Extension and director of the UC West Side Research and Extension Center, retiring in summer 2022. Hutmacher will be introduced by Professor of Cooperative Extension Daniel Putnam.

Heinrich Lieth

Lieth earned a B.S. in mathematics from the University of North Carolina and an M.S. in math and a Ph.D. in biomathematics from North Carolina State University. He was hired in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Horticulture in 1984, holding appointments for instruction and research, organized research and Cooperative Extension. He focused on modeling crop growth and automating greenhouse and nursery production, including environmentally sensitive techniques. He retired in July 2022. Lieth will be introduced by Professor of Cooperative Extension Lorence Oki.

Truman Young

Young earned a B.A in biology from the University of Chicago. a Ph.D.in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, and started with the UC Davis Department of Environmental Horticulture in 1996. He has been a leader in restoration ecology and management in the American West, Latin America and Africa, advancing theory of spatial and temporal controls, while mentoring dozens of scientists. He retired in fall 2021, but continues as a research professor. Young will be introduced by Professor and Ecologist in AES Valerie Eviner.

Tradition renewed

This is the first such event the department has held since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020. More faculty have retired since the last event, and more are expected in the coming year. Those who wish to participate will be honored at a future retirement dinner.