New Dümmen Orange Scholarship Honors Legacy of Dr. P. Allen Hammer

Dr. P. Allen Hammer, Dummen Orange

Dr. P. Allen Hammer, Dümmen Orange

Dümmen Orange has launched the Dr. P. Allen Hammer scholarship fund, named after Dr. P. Allen Hammer in acknowledgment for the contributions Hammer has made to the floriculture industry throughout his career as a university professor at Purdue University, as well as his decade of service supporting the Dümmen Orange organization as a technical specialist. The scholarship fund is intended to extend Hammer’s legacy by supporting the next generation of floriculture students toward the completion of their horticulture-related academic pursuits.

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“Education, learning, and discovery, has always been at the heart of my life,” Hammer told Greenhouse Grower magazine. “The joy of teaching and learning with outstanding students and industry for 34 years at Purdue University is a career, but adding to that with the past 10 years at Dümmen Orange has provided an incredible capstone to my career.

“The great honor of the Dümmen Orange scholarship in my name will add to my continuing journey of educating students in the future,” Hammer says. “Our industry’s future depends on attracting and supporting bright, hard-working students into horticulture programs across North America, and the support of Dümmen Orange will aid that effort. I look forward reading applications and participating in the selection of the scholarship recipient each year.”

The $5,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to one student studying horticulture or floriculture. Candidates must demonstrate accomplishments in horticulture in one of the following areas: academic achievement, community involvement, or leadership. The recipient of the Dr. P. Allen Hammer Scholarship will be announced annually in July during Cultivate. Applications are due on June 15. More information and the scholarship application can be found here.

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Dr. P. Allen Hammer served the floriculture industry through extension and research at Purdue University, from 1973-2006 and at Dümmen Orange from 2006-present day. While at Purdue, he worked with Indiana growers to solve greenhouse production problems and to provide advice and counsel on issues related to floriculture. He was the lead scientist on the National Poinsettia Trial, a joint effort among Purdue University, North Carolina State University, and the University of Florida, and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, which provides research grants to university floriculture researchers.

In addition to his Extension and research initiatives, he was the lead faculty member of a grant for an undergraduate study abroad program between three U.S. and four EU universities. Dr. Hammer has trained outstanding graduate students, who now hold key positions in floriculture at universities and in the private sector.

Following retirement from Purdue, Dr. Hammer continued to contribute to floriculture through product development and technical support as a member of Dümmen Orange’s North American team. He was integrally involved in the development and design of Las Mercedes, in El Salvador, which is one of Dümmen Orange’s premier production locations.

Dr. Hammer works with growers across North America, helping to optimize their production practices, and troubleshoot and/or align the optimal Dümmen Orange product for their programs. He is also an integral resource for the Dümmen Orange staff on production nuances in the broad assortment the organization offers.

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