About the Lectureship

This program was established to enhance the training offered at Kansas State University in Crop Science by providing opportunities for students and faculty to benefit form personal contact with outstanding scholars by means of lectures or seminars to be conducted at Kansas State University. This Lectureship also was established to perpetuate and honor the name of Dr. Elmer G. Heyne and commemorate his many years of outstanding service to Kansas State University, and to individuals in the campus community who were touched and influenced by his life.



About Dr. Elmer G. Heyne (1912 – 1997)

Dr. Elmer G. Heyne’s contributions to science began in 1938 when he joined the Agronomy faculty at Kansas State University. His career was marked by a succession of significant scientific achievements: fundamental discoveries involving the inheritance of wheat quality, inheritance of wheat disease reaction, development of plant breeding techniques, authorship of over 100 papers, and release of three corn lines, four sorghum lines, one barley variety, six oat varieties, and ten wheat varieties. His contributions to his profession and society were equally impressive: major professor for 60 graduate students, Director of the American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America and chairman for many committees for both organizations. In addition, he was chairman of the International Wheat Genetics Stocks Committee, founder and editor for the Wheat Newsletter, chairman of the Kansas State University Genetics Graduate Program, and President of the Kansas State University chapters of Phi Kappa Phi and Gamma Sigma Delta. Dr. Heyne’s most significant contributions involved wheat breeding. He introduced “Newton”, a semi-dwarf hard red winter wheat cultivar in 1977 that literally swept Kansas and much of the Great Plains. He also developed white wheat germplasm that provided the basis for cultivars released by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. His devotion as a researcher and teacher exemplified the responsibility of scientists at land grant institutions.

Contributions

An initial sum of $2,500 was placed on deposit with the Kansas State University Foundation to endow the Lectureship. This represents a stipend received by Dr. Heyne for the 1982 Crop Science Achievements Award from the American Society of Agronomy. The amount of money that can be used for the lecture series is limited to the income of this endowed fund; therefore additional contributions are encouraged and can be made by any person at any time. All donations are tax deductible. Your contributions are much appreciated and may be sent to:

Dr. Elmer G. Heyne Lectureship
Department of Agronomy
2004 Throckmorton Plant Sciences Center
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-5501