Remembering Dr. John Seeley

Cornell graduates, leading horticulturists and just about anyone who has attended a Seeley Conference will fondly remember Dr. John Seeley, who died on May 9 at age 92. Dr. Seeley completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture at Rutgers University and then his doctorate at Cornell University in 1948. He chaired the floriculture program at Penn State before coming back to Cornell to chair the department of floriculture and ornamental horticulture from 1956-1970. Ithaca, N.Y. has been his home ever since.

In 1986, his colleagues at Cornell honored him by organizing the first of what would be 22 annual Seeley Conferences each June. Here, he is pictured at the 2005 conference with Cornell professors Dr. Mark Bridgen and Dr. William Miller. Each year, an industry board chooses the topic that will be examined in this intimate think tank of about 100 people. For a look at past topics, visit: http://www.hort.cornell.edu/seeleyconference/previous_titles.html

Saturday, friends will gather to celebrate his life at Kendal Retirement Village in Ithaca. Memorial contributions may be made to Cornell Plantations, 1 Plantation Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. visit: http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/