Creator: Sylvan Wittwer

Subjects: Anniversaries, Sesquicentennial

Description:

Sylvan Wittwer received his undergraduate degree from Utah State Agricultural College in 1939 and a PhD in Agriculture from the University of Missouri in 1943. There he studied the philosophy of reproduction in higher plants with special reference to synopsis and syngamy which led to identifying naturally occurring growth hormones in plants.

Wittwer came to MSU in 1946 as an assistant professor in horticulture and in 1964, he became the director of the Agricultural Experiment Station with his main assignment to “sell agriculture.” He initiated a competitive grant program, traveled the state of Michigan discussing agricultural research using visual aids such as a slide projector, and sponsored two international conferences on crop productivity in 1975 and 1985. He also worked with three Chinese authors and wrote Feeding a Billion, which discussed the unique aspects of Chinese agriculture that allowed them to produce enough food for 22% of their people while using only 7% or the world’s arable land.

While serving as director of the Experiment Station, Wittwer:
* worked to increase funding for the Station through state, federal and international organizations;
* established a remote sensing program and the Pesticide Research Center;
* established a firm base for toxicology research; and
* coordinated an agriculture, genetics and plant breeding program.

Wittwer was also responsible for designing research and educational programs to deal with the PBB (polybrominated biphenyls) incident. He left the University in June 1983.

Topics/People Covered in the Interview include: Lucille Adams; Agricultural Experiment Station; James Anderson; John Bartholic; William James Beal; Berkey Hall; Lawrence Boger; Jack Breslin; George Brown; John Cantlon; John Carew; Robert Carolus; Adger Carroll; Richard Chapin; Phil Coleman; Bob, John Color; Cooperative Extension Service; Norman Cousins; Thomas Cowden; Department of Agriculture; Department of Energy; Environmental Protection Agency; Environmental Research Institute of Michigan; Farm Bureau Federation; Feeding a Billion; Ford Foundation; Robert Gast; George F Kettering Foundation; Elmer Graff; Gordon Guyer; John Hannah; Jake Hoefer; Mike Holder; Institute of Water Research; International Agricultural Research Centers; Dominic Jacobetti; KBS; Kellogg Center; Dick Lego; Marvin Lomberg; Cecil Mackey; Tom Malone; Larry Marshall; Joe Marx; Fumio Matsumora; George McIntyre; M Peter McPherson; Michigan Department of Agriculture; Michigan State Horticultural Society; MSU Board of Trustees; Environmental Toxicology Center; PBB incident; Presticide Research Center; remote-sensing program; Toxicology Research Center; MSU Press; Victor Montero; Yuri Mortinoff; NASA; National Academy of Sciences; National Research Council; National Science Foundation; NATO; Steve Ost; Dean Pridgeon; Pat Ralston; Rockefeller Foundation; David Rockefeller; George, Mick, Scott Romney; Soviet Union; Ray Schroeder; Kenneth Sink; Elton Smith; Ralph Smuckler; Richard Sower; Tiananmen Square; Glenn Taggart; Lloyd Turk; U of M; USAID; Clifton Wharton; George Woodwell; World Bank

Date: November 30, 2000

Collection Number: UA 3

Language: English

Rights Management: Educational use only, no other permissions given. Copyright to this resource is held by Michigan State University and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission of the University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Contributing Institution: University Archives & Historical Collections, Office of the Provost

Relation: Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

Contributor: MSU Archives and Historical Collections