UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Richard Craig, Penn State's J. Franklin Styer professor of horticultural botany, received the College of Agricultural Sciences' 2001 Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Research. Craig -- an internationally known plant geneticist -- will deliver the Black Award Lecture on Jan. 28 at 3:30 p.m. in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building. He will speak on the joys of collaborative research.
For 39 years, Craig has helped lead the industry towards better flowers. He developed 24 patented cultivars of geraniums and regal pelargoniums, six of which -- Dandy, Debutante, Fascination, Symphony, Tiara and Camelot -- are currently on the market. He introduced the first seed-propagated geranium, "Nittany Lion Red," in 1963 with professor of plant breeding Darrell Walker, stimulating the commercial development of hundreds of improved cultivars. With Oglevee Ltd., Craig was granted a process patent for year-round production of regal pelargoniums.
"This award would not have been possible without the collaboration and assistance of other faculty and the many graduate and undergraduate students I've worked with over the years," Craig says. "My greenhouse technician, Ken Myers, deserves special acknowledgement."
Craig describes his work as "creating a more beautiful world," which he does two ways: "through developing new flowers and motivating students." He has supervised 40 graduate students who are currently employed as teachers or researchers in academe or the horticultural industry; directed more than 200 undergraduate research projects; and served on many graduate committees.
"Dr. Craig is one of our most respected instructors," says Dennis Decoteau, head of Penn State's horticulture department. "I receive many unsolicited comments about how caring and effective he is in and out of the classroom. He consistently receives the highest praise from seniors during their exit interviews."
Craig has made significant contributions to knowledge of the molecular, morphological and genetic basis of small pest resistance in geraniums. This collaborative research with Ralph Mumma, distinguished professor emeritus of environmental quality, received a U.S. patent and resulted in the isolation and cloning of a gene that codes for the pest resistance enzyme in the garden geranium.
Craig's honors include a Bronze Medal for Research for outstanding contributions to the genetics of African violets. He is a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science. In 1991, he received the Alex Laurie Award for Floricultural Research and was inducted into the Society of American Florists' Floricultural Hall of Fame. In 2000, he received the American Horticulture Society's Luther Burbank Award for his extraordinary achievement.
He serves on the boards of directors of the Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, which awards grants to support floricultural research, and the Seeley Conference, an annual think tank held at Cornell on current floricultural issues.
He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture in 1959 and 1960, respectively, and his doctorate in genetics in 1963, all from Penn State. Since then, he has conducted research and taught at Penn State.
Penn State professor Alex Black and his wife, Jessie, endowed the Black Award for Excellence in Research, which offers a $1,000 honorarium and plaque. The award recognizes significant accomplishments in agricultural research at Penn State.
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EDITORS: Richard Craig can be reached at 814-863-2191.
Contact:
Kim Dionis kdionis@psu.edu 814-863-2703 814-865-1068 fax