IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORIAM

Leonard L. Morris

Professor of Vegetable Crops, Emeritus

Davis

1914—2003

Dr. Leonard L. Morris was professor and lericulturist in the Department of Vegetable Crops, at the University of California, Davis for 41 years, from 1941 until his retirement in 1982. Dr. Morris was a major figure in American and international postharvest physiology, specializing in the postharvest handling of lettuce and tomatoes, and in the biology and technology of controlled atmosphere storage and chilling injury. He died at age 88 on January 23, 2003, in Davis, California, where he and his wife, Marsaille lived for 62 years.

 

Leonard L. Morris was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on August 5, 1914. He was the first of six children of Ivan and Anna Morris and was raised on a farm just outside of Terre Haute. After graduating from Honey Creek High School, he earned his bachelor's degree from Purdue University in 1937 and his master’s and Ph.D. in the field of vegetable crops from Cornell University in 1939 and 1941, respectively.

 

He joined the Division of Truck Crops, University of California, Davis, in 1941 (in 1952 it was renamed the Department of Vegetable Crops); by 1959 he had become full professor. In 1956 Dr. Morris received the Produce Packaging Association’s C.W. Hauck Award for significant and outstanding research related to pre-packaging problems. He received the L.H. Vaughan Award (1958), the Asgrow Award (1978), and the National Food Processors Award (1980) for outstanding research papers. During his UCD career Dr. Morris was awarded a Rockefeller grant to support his visiting professorship at the University of Khartoum in Sudan. He was a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1993 Dr. Morris was honored with the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Agriculture’s Gold Medal for his outstanding contributions as a foreign scientist to the improvement of postharvest research, education and technology in China.

 

Morris devoted his entire career at UCD to research and teaching of postharvest handling of vegetable crops. He was an authority on the postharvest physiology of vegetables and was especially noted for his studies on the chilling injury of vegetables and their response to atmospheric modification. He also discovered the Never-ripe (Nr) tomato mutant, bringing it to the attention of Charlie Rick. The thoroughness of Dr. Morris' research and teaching is attested to by his former graduate students, who now hold academic positions at institutions all over the world. The recommendations arising from his research on the chilling of tomatoes and sweet potatoes were widely adopted by the vegetable industry.

 

Through Dr. Morris' research efforts, NSF granted UCD $200,000 supplemental funds for the construction of the Louis K. Mann Laboratory that opened in 1967. The Mann Laboratory, which focuses on postharvest physiology of vegetables, remains a world-renowned unit of' the UCD Vegetable Crops Department.

 

An active member of American Society for Horticultural Science since 1938, Dr. Morris participated on numerous ASHS committees. He was also active in the Society's Western Region, having served as both secretary-treasurer and chairman of the Western Region. Other professional activities included serving as a consultant to the State Department of Agriculture, commercial railroads, the Western Growers Association, and the National Research Council Committee on Fruit and Vegetable Products for the United States Army. Prior to and following his retirement, Dr. Morris also had many consultancies and residencies in Third World countries of Africa, South America and Asia – particularly China.

 

His wife, Marsaille Morris of Davis, and his sister, Maurine Roehm of Terre Haute, survive him, as do numerous nieces and nephews, a sister-in-law and brothers-in-law. His many friends and colleagues in academia, industry and government service throughout the national and international horticultural community will miss his cheerful personality and scientific insight.

 

Mikal Saltveit

Adel Kader

Michael Reid