ASPB Newsletter - May/June 2010 - Obituary

American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)

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ASPB Newsletter - May/June 2010

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May/June 2010
Volume 37, Number 3

OBITUARY

Richard B. Walker


Richard Walker

On March 29, 2010, the Society lost a long-time, devoted member with the death of Richard B. (Dick) Walker at the age of 93. Dick was an important figure in forest physiology in the Pacific Northwest and a leader in the Department of Botany at the University of Washington. He was born in Illinois and obtained a bachelor of science degree in botany at the University of Illinois in 1938. His graduate training in plant physiology occurred at the University of California at Berkeley, after a hiatus during World War II when, as an artillery officer, he helped guard the Panama Canal. He received his PhD in 1948 and was immediately hired by the Botany Department at U-Washington, where he stayed for the duration of his professional life. From 1962 to 1971, he was department chair. During that time he was largely responsible for bringing the International Botanical Congress to Seattle in 1969. In his role as chair of the Botany Department, he strongly supported the development of undergraduate biology courses and an interdisciplinary biology major. From 1975 to 1982 he was the director of the Office of Biology Education. He was also an adjunct professor in the College of Forest Resources from 1977 to 1985. His teaching focused primarily on plant–water relations and mineral nutrition. He became an emeritus professor in 1987 and continued to maintain an office and be a contributing member of the department and region well into this century.

Dick’s thesis research was on the uptake of minerals from serpentine soils, a subject he pursued his whole career. On arrival in Seattle he developed research in conjunction with Stan Gessel of the College of Forest Resources into mineral and water uptake into forest trees. Between 1958 and 1963, Dick and Stan were members of a team that journeyed five times to the Marshall Islands to study the uptake into plants of rare radioisotopes, generated by the hydrogen bombs. The resulting reports were among the first to point out the unrecognized dangers of lingering radiation to plants. Another area of Dick’s research focused on the biology of iron, both in plants and in its ability to be taken up by humans.

Dick took an active interest in ASPB. He attended most of the national meetings and encouraged his colleagues and students to be active members. He was a great source of knowledge about plant physiology and a strong positive influence on all his fellow scientists.

An endowment honoring Dr. Richard B. Walker is being established at the University of Washington Biology Department. For information, contact Kristy Brady (206-685-2185).

Robert Cleland
Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh
University of Washington