Henry A. Jones

Photo of Henry A. Jones, Professor Emritus

In Memoriam
Professor, Chairman of Truck Crops
1889-1981

HENRY A. JONES (1889-1981)

Born: 1889
Married: Louise White
Children: Mary Goodman Espy, Joy White, Myron Jones, Dr. Henry A. Jones, Jr.

Education: 

  • University of Nebraska, B.S. in Botany and Plant Pathology in 1916
  • University of Chicago, Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 1918

Employment: 

  • USDA Bureau of Markets, Massachusetts, 1918
  • Associate Professor, University of West Virginia, 1918 - 1920
  • Professor, University of Maryland, 1920 - 1922
  • Associate Professor and Chairman of Truck Crops, University of California, Davis, 1922 - 1936
  • Head Horticulturist, USDA, ARS 1936 - 1955
  • Director of Research, Dessert Seed Company, 1955 -1979

Areas of Research and Professional Interests:
Discovered male sterility in onions, regarded as the "father of hybrid onions."

Honors, Awards, Professional Societies:

  • 1934 The EL RODEO (U.C Davis yearbook) was dedicated to Professor Jones for excellence in teaching
  • 1953 USDA Distinguished Service Award for Discovery and Outstanding Original Research in Genetics of Male
    Sterility in Plants
  • 1955 Vegetable Man of the Year, Vegetable Growers Association of America
  • 1977 Award of Honor, California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomists

From the 1934 El Rodeo Yearbook Dedication (link)

Sturdy, keen and quietly helpful in nature, Dr. Jones has for the past sixteen years guided the thoughts and actions of students of plane life. After winning his Ph. D. at Chicago, Dr. Jones has steadily applied his principles of bard work and keen thinking both to students' work and to his own. Always ready to advise and consult, this scientist has readily won his way into the hearts of all students who have been in contact with him. Today through his efforts the Truck Crops Division has risen to a point where it is recognized as the leader in this country. Dr. Jones' work has won him many honors, chief of which was the presidency of the American Society of Horticultural Science. To this man we, with the highest esteem, dedicate this volume.