George A. Zentmyer Jr.

(1913-2003) born at North Platte. Plant pathologist, educator, became foremost worldwide authority on many species of soil-borne diseases that can destroy about 1,000 kinds of trees and crops, specializing in study of fungi related to avocado trees and cocoa plants, was first to use chemotherapeutic fungicides as a treatment for plant diseases, authored more than 300 articles and reports; elected to National Academy of Sciences in 1979. Consult Phytopathology, Vol 99 (January 1969) 8-9 and Annual Review of Phytopathology, Vol 32 (1994) 1-19 and University of California at Riverside, Fiat Lux Magazine, June 2000, pp. 14-15 and Riverside, California Press-Enterprise obituary, February 14, 2003, pp. B-4, B-8.

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