Herbert Hice Whetzel (September 5, 1877 – November 30, 1944) was an American

plant pathologist Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

and

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

. As a professor of plant pathology, he led the first department of plant pathology at an American university and founded the Cornell Plant Pathology Herbarium (CUP).

Background and education

H. H. Whetzel was born near

Avilla, Indiana Avilla is a town in Allen Township, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,401 at the 2010 census. History A post office has been in operation at Avilla since 1846. According to Ronald L. Baker, the town may be name ...

, where he spent his boyhood on the family farm. A nature lover and Collector from an early age, he taught school for two years after graduating High school, then earned a Bachelor's Degree at

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832, by a group of Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, the institution was originally named "The Wabash Teachers Seminary an ...

. After graduating from

in 1902, he attended graduate School at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he studied under the prominent Mycologist George F. Atkinson. In 1904 he married Lucy E. Baker. They had two children, Joseph and Gertrude; Lucy died in 1912. In 1914 he married Lucy's sister Bertha A. Baker, and they raised the children together in Ithaca, New York.

Career

While still working on his Doctoral Research, Whetzel was hired by

Liberty Hyde Bailey Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858 – December 25, 1954) was an American Horticulture, horticulturist and reformer of rural life. He was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey ...

to do Extension work for Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In 1906, Whetzel was appointed Assistant Professor of Botany, and in 1907, he became the Head Professor of the newly created Department of Plant Pathology. A quirk of Cornell's rules prevented him from officially receiving his PhD, but he was later awarded Honorary D.Sc. Degrees from

and the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

. His students included M. F. Barrus and Charles Chupp, who both went on to Teach at Cornell and who shared Whetzel's conviction of the Importance of Extension work as well as Carlos E. Chardón, who became a Government Minister and Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico. Whetzel studied

sclerotium A sclerotium (; : sclerotia () is a compact mass of hardened fungal mycelium containing food reserves. One role of sclerotia is to survive environmental extremes. In some higher fungi such as ergot, sclerotia become detached and remain dormant u ...

-producing Cup Fungi, and published a

monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...

of genera in the family

Sclerotiniaceae The Sclerotiniaceae are a family (biology), family of fungi in the order Helotiales. Many species in this family are plant pathogens. Genera * ''Asterocalyx'' * ''Botryotinia'' * ''Botrytis (fungus), Botrytis'' * ''Ciboria'' * ''Ciborinia'' * ...

. He was a charter member of the American Phytopathological Society, Authored more than 300 Publications, and was instrumental in Founding and Developing the Cornell Plant Pathology Herbarium (CUP), where his fungus collections are stored. He was a Pioneer in Documenting the Fungi of Puerto Rico (1916) and Bermuda (1920–1921). At the end of his life he issued the

Exsiccata Exsiccata (Latin, ''gen.'' -ae, ''plur.'' -ae) is a work with "published, uniform, numbered set of preserved specimens distributed with printed labels". Typically, exsiccatae are numbered collections of dried herbarium Biological specimen, spe ...

like series ''Bermuda Fungi'', specimens no. 101 to no. 200 distributed by J. M. Waterston after his death. Whetzel died in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

, at the age of 67. He had Resided in the Forest Home area of Ithaca for over 30 years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whetzel, Herbert Hice 1877 births 1944 deaths American phytopathologists American mycologists People from Noble County, Indiana Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni Cornell University faculty Wabash College alumni

Background and education

Career

See also

References