Wherein are recorded the recollections, the ruminations and the raspirations of those who have drunk from the foaming fount of the Dep- artment of Plant Pathology of the University of Minnesota and who now spout forth in divers ways Ktt fount foam an3 ncbpl; run bry Report from the Acting Head Our new Department Head, Jim Hunter, will arrive about July 15. Presently he is busy terminating his responsibilities at the Geneva Station of Cornell University. We look forward to his arrival and are excited about the future of our Department. This has been a good year for the Department. Probably the best news is that the State Legislature appropriated $574,000 to prepare working drawings for additions to the Plant Pathology, Agronomy and Soils buildings. The total building program, which we hope will be approved by the 1980 Legislature, calls for over $14,000,000 and will provide our Department with 24,654 square feet of additional space. In addition, the Department will share a 250-seat lecture room. A committee will soon start planning the new buildings and although there was some thought of having working drawings ready for the 1979 Legislature, this will not be possible. We are optimistic, however, that the building will be started in 1980. The location of the new structure has not been decided but very likely it will fill part of the space between the west ends of the present Agronomy and Pathology buildings. In addition to acquiring some new space, Plant Pathology will take over the two floors of the Plant Science building now occu- pied by Agronomy and Soils. The Plant Science building, which was built in 1966, will thus be occupied entirely by Plant Pathology. Approval of the planning funds by the Legislature demonstrates their interest and support for agriculture. We are most appreciative of the support we had from many organizations in the state. The added space will greatly enhance our research programs and we are optimistic that we will finally have the teaching facilities that we have needed for many years. New space is especially important be- cause we now have 45 graduate students with more in prospect. Our regular staff is growing and we have accommodated a number of visiting scientists. To help alleviate space problems we are in the process of converting the basement of the headhouse into offices for graduate students. The storeroom on the first floor (Room 111) will be modified to provide space for the mycotoxicology project which had to evacuate their space in 201 so the air pollution project could expand. Mycotoxicology is also occupying space in Veterinary Medicine and the College of Biological Science. More storage space was sacrificed to expand the EM facility in Plant Science. In spite of limited space, research progress has been gratifying. Over 50 papers were published in 1977, which does not include several chapters for books. Presently the Department is advertising three staff positions. We are looking for a cereal pathologist (actually announced as a wheat pathologist), who will work on non-rust diseases of cereals, cooperating with Agronomy in developing disease resistant varieties. Another position is in epidemiology to replace Dr. Shrum. Still a third posi- tion is that of Assistant Extension Specialist to replace John Mizicko. It is hoped that all of these positions can be filled by Fall, 1978. The Plant Heal th Technology undergraduate program continues i ts development and gradually more satisfactory programs are being evolved. At present about 70 students are enrolled, making the teaching load greater in a number of courses. In the graduate group, Principles of Plant Pathology will be taught by Dick Zeyen, starting Spring, 1979. John Skelly taught the course in forest pathology this Spring and the Department enjoyed having him with us. The students enjoyed the course, and from all reports, John enjoyed a party in his honor the night before he left. We hope he made it home with his station wagon loaded with class material. The Department has profited much by the presence of people like John Skelly and John Ayers. Dr. Ayers will be with us for 6 months working on diseases of small grains. A shorter visit which was a highlight for many of us was Alex Shigo's 3-day stay which included 3 lectures and special discussion sessions with students and faculty. A recent bit of good news is that the College of Agriculture has received "equ i ty" funds, to he1 p adjust salaries of the facul ty . Dr. Stakman, who suffered a paralytic stroke July 19, 1977, is now living in The Presbyterian Home on Lake Johanna, just a few miles north of the campus. He has a large, sunny room and has access to their lovely grounds which have been nicely landscaped. He is now receiving physical therapy and apparently is contented with his situation. He thoroughly enjoyed his birthday party at a local restaurant. Everyone should remember that the annual meeting of the Phytopath- ological Society will be held in Minneapolis in 1980 and we hope all of the Old Timers, including the recent ones, will take the opportunity to visit the Department. With best wishes to all of you. D. W. French Dr. Stakman's address is: The Presbyterian Home 3220 Lake Johanna Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55112 Volume 49, No. 1 AURORA SPOREALIS May 1978 OLD TIMERS COL'JMN Ta Ching Loh, PhD 1933, reports, in a letter to George Hafstad, that he has re- Harry C. Young Jr, PhD 1949, Professor tired and has moved back to his own house of Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State U., in Kwang Chow (formerly canton). There vis i ted severa 1 educational and research he has leisure for reading and writing institutions in Venezuela in August, 1977 but also does some woodworking. This he to help plan academic programs for grad- says "will provide me with enough daily uate student education in plant pathology. excercise and I like it, for it keeps my mind from thinking too much". According to HeShii Chang, Paul Sun, Loh has had some heart trouble, but is MS 1966, was appointed Chief of the fortunate in having his oldest daughter, Plant Industrial Division of the Joint an M.D., staying with him and his wife. Commission of Rural Reconstruction in He would like to come back to the U.S. Taiwan, effective Nov. 1, 1977. Paul has and visit some of his friends "of forty been with the JCRR for several years. years ago". Beverly Bergman and her husband moved Dr. Colin Booth, Director of the into a new apartment in Minnetonka in Commonwealth Mycological Institute, has June, 1977. She says they still miss pub1 i shed a book, "Fusar i um, Laboratory Roseville. Beverly was Sr. Clerk Guide to the Identification of Major Typist in the plant path office in 1975- Species". Dr. Booth was Visiting Pro- 76. She now works for the Rural Physi- fessor in the Department during the cians Associate Program in the Medical Spring of 1971. School. John Ohman, PhD 1961, will leave for Kenneth Old, PhD 1964, left his pos- Washington, D.C. in June to become ition with the University of Dundee in Director of the Forest Insect and Disease Scotland in January 1978 and moved to Research, U.S. Forest Service. He Australia. There he has accepted a new leaves the position of Director of the position with the CSlRO Division of North Central Forest Experiment Station Forest Research as plant pathologist at St. Paul. with headquarters at Canberra. He will work on die-back of eucalyptus. Roberta Brehmer, Sr. Lab. Technician on the potato project in the early 701s, is Dr. Howard F. Schwartz, MS 1975, is now an Agricultural Extensionist with the working on bean diseases with ClAT Peace Corps at Otavalo, Ecuador. Bobbie (~entrolnternacional de Agricultra graduated in horticulture and is helping ~ropical)at Cali, Colombia. He finds the people in Ecuador raise more and bet- the work very interesting and challeng- ter vegetables. She says the country is ing, eg, evaluating 7 hectares of bean beautiful, but it is difficult to get a progeny for resistance to Bean Common hot shower. Mosaic Virus and Rust. "The rust epi- demic is proceeding beautifully----my Lloyd Brinkerhoff, PhD 1962, spent exposure to rust in Minnesota with you August - October, 1977 in Pakistan where (M.B. ~oore)is being very valuable and he was consultant on bacterial blight of will hopefully be productive as well". cotton with the Food and Agriculture Or- Howard is planning new greenhouse facil- ganization of the United Nations. Lloyd ities (a big job) and during his slack is on the staff of Langston University, time is co-editor of a Handbook on Bean Langston, Okla. He retired recently from Diseases in Latin America, for which he the ARS, USDA at Oklahoma State Univer- is writing several chapters. sity. The last issue of Aurora was Volume 48, rdo. 1, dated June 1977 Kenneth G. Elclndoe, an Old Timmer who E.E. (~ene)Saari, PhD 1966, favored got his PhD in agronomy, is presently Aurora with a 2-page letter describing retire'd and living with his wife, Ethel, some of his activities in the period in Leesburg, Florida. They have a son, May 27 - October 12, 1977. Gene is Kenneth, who is married and lives in New Regional Plant Pathologist with CIMMYT Jersey. He is an artist. in Cairo, Egypt. His summer duties in- cluded a month in China, travelling with In a recent letter Mac recalls that he Norm Borlaug, Glenn Anderson and Haldore and Frank Kaufert started to New York Hanson, learning first hand of the prob- (in 1930) in a Model T Ford.