David Spooner

Dr. David M. Spooner was awarded the William L. Brown Medal in honor of his exceptional contributions to conservation of germplasm during his career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Department of Horticulture. Between 1984 and 2016 he conducted field work that supplied numerous collections of potato and, later, carrot germplasm for ARS, visiting many countries and collaborating with international research organizations. In addition, he has published over 200 scientific papers of consistently high quality, mostly on subjects that contribute to the understanding and potential use of germplasm collections in these genera. These include publications on breeding, germplasm diversity, and disease resistance, taxonomic revisions and monographs of major groups, descriptions of new species, phylogenetic studies, field reports, and in-depth studies of potato species complexes that included morphological and molecular data and field trials. He also has published in other areas, such as ethnobotany, and has a notable record of generous service work and mentorship. To all who have had the good fortune to work with him, he is a valued colleague and friend.