This is a place for Dad's friends and family to post their memories of him. If you have photos to post, you can email them to John.Dueck.Memoriam@gmail.com where I will review and post them as I have time.
Harvey Dueck
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John Dueck in his own words 2003 Aurora Sporealis - U of MN Plant Pathology Alumni Magazine
From: Richard Zeyen
To: Harvey, Cheryl, Ann, Carol
Cheryl and Harvey
In 2003 I asked John to write about his life and career for our alumni news magazine. Just last week we finished getting all volumes from 1924 through 2006 digitized and on line. You may wish to keep this around and share with other family members.
Richard
John Dueck (MS 1966, PhD 1971)
Your last “Alumni Speak” column listed me as graduating in 1971 with a Ph.D. I also graduated in 1966 with a M..S. followed by a two
year break from graduate studies. As a result I have two sets of memories of Plant Pathology at Minnesota.
In the mid ‘60s, it was the Department of Plant Pathology and Physiology. There were approximately 65 graduate students and post
doctoral fellows, accommodated in considerably less luxurious facilities (and a lot less space) than exist
today. My laboratory and those of most of the Plant Physiology majors and the USDAstaff were in the old
Agricultural Botany Building (a site now occupied by the library), also fondly dubbed the Tottering Tower.
The building had its charm. For one thing, you could open the windows, and on hot summer days, the
breeze sweeping up the slope and into the building provided welcome relief. The downside was that it
was hard to find a space where temperature could be controlled well enough to work on carefully controlled
experiments on monolayers of infected plant tissue. Also, occasionally bats would come in during the
evening and do a few circles in the room where the students had their desks - needless to say a trifle
distracting. The real perk was that the labs and working space were generous compared to the students
whose labs were in the Plant Pathology building now known as Stakman Hall.
When I returned in the late ‘60s, the Plant Physiologists had been dispersed throughout various
departments in the Colleges of Agriculture and Biological Science. With an already shrunken Department
and student numbers generally down for other reasons, the atmosphere in the Department had changed
significantly. I was fortunate enough to work (with Tom Mew and Alfredo Palaez) in Bill Kennedy’s shiny
new lab and in the electron microscopy lab (with Richard Zeyen and Lois Johnson) in the part of the
building connecting Stakman Hall and Agronomy. A core of senior professors, Christensen, Eide and
Moore still held court, but a significant transformation had taken place. Mirocha and his students’ work on mycotoxins quickly gained an
international reputation and at the USDA lab, host-parasite physiology and epidemiolgy were taken to new heights.
Memories.
There were a number of valuable features about the Department at Minnesota. The department’s reputation as one of the largest and
influential Departments of Plant Pathology in the U.S.A. drew a steady parade of visitors, many with an international reputation (e.g.
Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, J. C. Walker, and many others). Invariably visitors were asked to give seminars, thus providing
glorious learning opportunities for students.
The Department (and the rest of the University) were a mini United Nations. In addition to those from the U.S.A., there were
students from Canada, Norway, Germany , UK, Australia, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea,
India and perhaps others that do not come to mind. It is impossible to measure the value of the exposure to the international community
gained from that experience. It had a huge impact on my career, and my life in general. Students lived in harmony and enjoyed each
others’ company, even in the course of occasionally heated discussions. The U.S.A. has been incredibly generous in welcoming the
international community into their institutions of higher learning (for the most part superior academic institutions). Knowledge is possibly
the most valuable commodity any nation could export. I often think that the University of Minnesota and other institutions in the U.S.A.
do not receive, nor claim enough credit for their wonderful contributions to the world.
The Stakman influence. When I first arrived in 1964, although Professor Stakman was long retired, he would still show up regularly for
Tuesday afternoon seminars. He would speak eloquently and at great length on almost any topic, much to the chagrin of younger faculty
and students, had little respect for time. As 6 o’clock approached, the dissertations were perceived as less and less eloquent. One of the
benefits of his presence was the promotion of interest in the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCS),( Rockefeller and Ford
Foundations at that time), and their role in the Green Revolution. This influence was reflected in the number of graduates from that era
that went to work in the CGIAR system (Saari, Prescott, Skovmond, Mew, Pandey and others). The sixteen IARCs collectively are
international public institutions that have bestowed enormous benefit on the poor among the poor. The Department’s contribution to
their success should be a matter of pride for all faculty, students and alumni.
Seminars. Seminars in Plant Pathology left an indelible impression on every student. Tuesday afternoon seminars for their almost
starchy (for the U.S.A.), rigid formality. A seminar advisor, typewritten abstracts with bibliography and very formal presentations,
including visuals and with questions only at the end. Thursday night seminars for their irreverence and scientific free-for-all. Among
other benefits they served a useful purpose in teaching students about good oral communication. The Thursday night experience, with its
impromptu interruptions was good preparation for leading future staff meetings - responding to off the wall questions without getting
flustered. And of course, the Thursday night seminar was concluded at the Terminal Pub, where the real philosophical discussions of the
day began (but never ended) - important topics like “Is it okay for the Twins manager to get into a dustup with his star pitcher between
World Series games (Martin vs Boswell)?” or “Why can the Vikings not win when it counts (three Superbowl losses under Grant)?” The
seminars fostered a closeness among students.
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People. The most memorable part about five years of graduate school is the people, both students and faculty. There was a big effort to
create a family atmosphere and it was effective. Classes, seminars, research, sports, coffee breaks and Christmas parties were all in a
spirit of camaraderie.
Mrs and Dr.Kernkamp (Head of Department) saw fit to entertain students and their spouses in their home every Christmas - a
gesture very much appreciated by those of us who could not afford to travel to be with family. Perhaps one of the more remarkable
characteristics of the time was the pressure students had from the United States Draft Board to accept an offer of a free visit to Viet Nam.
Telling of tales of this aspect are perhaps better left to those who had first hand experience. Lifetime friendships were formed at the time
with my office mate Bill Anderson, Bob Crow, Yong Sup Cho, Richard Zeyen, Jim Groth and others. The wonders of the internet and
email now let us keep in touch.
Sports. I note with great interest that the annual softball game still takes place. Softball and the Department have a long history. In the
60’s, it was real softball, as opposed to slowpitch. With the size of the Department and number of good players, it was difficult for
newcomers to crack the lineup. In addition to intramural play, there were great matches with Agronomy, the loser having to buy a keg of
beer to be consumed in Como Park after the game. Its amazing what motivates students.
I have great memories (as noted by Schwandt in the last issue) of tennis with Crow, Groth Schwandt and others. The best sports
memories are of the Plant Path volleyball team of the late 60’s with Morrison, Cho, Gibbs, Slattery, Anderson, myself and others. The
daily noon hour practices, the campus league and the runup through the playoffs (not to mention several trophies). These were great
diversions from hard core studying.
Personal career.
When I left the University of Minnesota for Harrow, Ontario in July of 1971, ink on my new Ph.D diploma not quite dry, it was with great
delight that I would tell friends about heading ‘south’to Canada. One of the quirks of the British North America Act that established the
Canada - U.S.A. boundary has the tip of Canada between Lakes Erie and Huron thus going south in latitude well into the same latitude
as Iowa! The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research Centre at Harrow was a brand new facility and all outdoors was like
a disease garden. I was hired to work on fireblight in apple and pear and was the only plant pathologist hired by AAFC in 1971. After
two years, I moved to Ottawa for a brief stint in Plant Quarantine, then to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to work on the AAFC canola
program.
Canola (rapeseed) as a crop was in its infancy in the mid 1970’s and in a few short years, it grew from a few hundred thousand acres,
to four million acres. As could be expected, with this rapid expansion of canola, disease problems seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Diseases multiplied exponentially and the demand for disease and control information by the industry was incredible. Much of my time
was spent on descriptive biology, trying to understand what pathogens were important, their occurrence, and their relationship and short
term control measures. This work set the stage for later work on developing genetic resistance and more sophisticated epidemiology. It
also left me with one of the world’s largest collections of Brassica disease pictures in 35 mm format. It was an exciting time for a young
scientist, being part of a dynamic research program and serving a dynamic industry eager for new technology. Establishing canola in
Canada was a remarkable accomplishment, achieved by cooperation among scientists, farmers, processors, marketers, exporters, and the
farm supply industry.
In 1981, I became part of the management team of AAFC as the Director of the Research Centre at Regina, a Centre that dealt with
agronomy and the biology of weeds, including very successful programs in biocontrol and environmental chemistry. In the mid 1980’s
I accepted an assignment to lead a development assistance project to set up a research and development program for the rainfed (Barani)
areas of Pakistan. Having completed my two year term in Islamabad in1987, it was assumed there would never be occasion to set foot
in Pakistan again. However, my supervisor retired because of ill health and I was heir apparent to lead the project from Canada for
another seven years. Needless to say, the events of the last few years in that part of the world have jogged more than a few memories. I
have a fondness for the great beauty of northern Pakistan and continue to see a great need to help the rural poor.
In 1989, Mary and I pulled the pegs on our tent once more and moved to the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, to take on the
position of Director of the AAFC Research Centre at Summerland. The Centre program specializes in tree fruits, viticulture, oenology
and food. Being associated with the tree fruit and wine industries was filled with a combination of good science, good food and good
wine, all surrounded by spectacular scenery and great weather for eight months of the year. It was a period when both the tree fruit and
wine industries were undergoing massive changes in technology used and in the quality of products delivered to the marketplace.
The valley is a fairly closed ecological system, permitting large scale field experiments you might not attempt elsewhere. With this
in mind, using AAFC developed technology, the tree fruit industry launched a sterile insect release program for eradication of codling
moth. From a biological perspective, the experiment was an astounding success, actually collapsing the codling moth population over
large areas. However cost, logistics of controlling volunteer trees on private property and the problems of re-infestation even in a closed
system have meant expectations had to be lowered. Nonetheless, the long term impact will be a vastly reduced reliance on insecticides
by the industry.
We continued our migratory life and in 1995, I accepted the position of Director of the newly formed Eastern Cereal and Oilseed
Research Centre (ECORC) in Ottawa, on the historic Central Experimental Farm ( a more than 1000 acre property now in the middle of
Ottawa). The Centre is the largest in the AAFC system with more than 70 scientists. The Centre has one of Canada’s largest plant
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biotechnology teams and has breeding programs for five major crops for Eastern Canada. It also has a large biosystematics research
program for insects, fungi and plants (one of few such programs remaining anywhere) and a Land Resources program with a database
that characterizes most of the agricultural land in Canada.
Because of medical problems, I gave up the position at ECORC in 1998 and joined AAFC Research Branch headquarters staff. The
intent was to have a reduced workload, but for some mysterious reason it has not worked out that way. Being in a staff position gave me
the opportunity to work on a team to assemble and promote a proposal for a major Canadian initiative on genomics (this resulted in
formation of Genome Canada, and an in-house plant genomics program). Perhaps the highlight of this stage of my career was leading
Canada’s delegation for most of the negotiations for the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture under
the auspices of FAO. The treaty is not yet in effect, awaiting ratification of the required forty countries. Canada was the first OECD
country to ratify.
Currently I am leading the Genomics and Bioinformatics program for AAFC. The program has 65 scientists across ten Research
Centres. Although this is an exciting program, it is time for me to hang up the cleats and let younger, more energetic players take the
field. I plan to be retired by September. Retirement objective: improve my golf score; learn electronic imaging; have no more serious
objectives other than to listen to good music, drink fine wine and enjoy exquisite food.
Perspectives/advice etc.
A school’s legacy is its graduates and their performance. Most of my contemporaries as graduate students became solid performers -
what I would describe bread and butter plant pathologists. Much needed and valuable kind of work that was largely descriptive biology
in nature, but contributed to the management of plant diseases for the agricultural industry on an international scale. A school that
produced graduates that knew what whole plants and disease symptoms looked like in the field. They were very employable graduates.
In retrospect, it is obvious the department of Plant Pathology deliberately attracted a certain type of student and offered a certain type of
education. Obviously the notion that an academic institution has to decide what kind of students it wants to attract and what kinds of
graduates it wants to produce is as valid today as it was then.
In the words of Professor Stakman “... Far be it from me to offer advice, but if I were to offer advice .....” , (and several hours later
you would still be treated to advice that was ‘not being offered’). I do not have advice, but rather have some thoughts.
The fields of host-parasite genetics, host-parasite physiology, ecology, epidemiology, soil microbiology, etc., have not changed.
What has changed is the tools that permit you to study them. Genomics, proteomics and all the other “omics” have blurred the lines
between genetics, physiology and metabolism and for the first time it is becoming possible to really understand a host - pathogen
relationship. Related technologies permit the study of microbial communities in a variety of substrates that previously were not possible.
Soil microbiology can now study organisms, including many that cannot be cultured, in ways previous generations could not even
perceive in their dreams. The advances that have made much of this possible are in computational science - bio-informatics, micro-
arrays, etc., and also the field of modeling for epidemiology etc.
What all the foregoing says is that plant pathology is a more exciting field of study than ever, but also offers new challenges for the
institution as well as for the students. In times of shrinking resources, it is difficult for the institution to shift its academic expertise to
address the new opportunities that advances in science create. While keeping up with changing equipment needs is also a challenge, I
believe the faculty challenge is greater. Another challenge for both faculty and students is finding the program direction that balances the
expertise in fields like genomics, bio-informatics, and mathematical modeling with the need for knowledge in mycology, botany, ecology,
horticulture or agronomy. This is all further complicated by the blurring of boundaries among disciplines, creating serious questions
about the limits of Departmental responsibilities.
In other words basic biology meets descriptive biology and where is the meeting ground and how do you maintain a faculty that is
capable of giving students a flavor of both? In simple language where do you find the new integrators like an Alan Roelfs who could
write the mathematical model for a rust epidemic, but also knew how to read (or create) the symptoms of the disease in the field and
could design the definitive field experiment? Or, a James Groth who has an intimate knowledge of host - parasite genetics, but also has
a great knowledge of ecology, botany and mycology and the behaviour of organisms in the natural environment? Or, a Richard Zeyen
who can build the coalition among Departments that permits taking on the big initiatives. While the big money is in basic science, to
create value from this science society needs the integrators. Students need to specialize, but they need the exposure to both to ultimately
succeed in their careers. Therefore a faculty needs to offer both and everyone needs to understand that one is as valuable as the other for
the organization to succeed.
Perhaps the more fundamental question is what role should be played by public institutions in an era when corporate laboratories
have forayed into basic as well as applied research. Scientific discoveries are not as freely exchanged, even among publicly funded
scientists, because they are protected as intellectual property. Where does the differentiation between public and private role take place?
Beyond that there is a crying need to tell the story of the success of research and teaching in a compelling way that attracts the attention
of the decision makers who control state and federal budgets.
On a closing note, I enjoyed my interesting and varied career of nearly 32 yrs. The education received in the Department gave me
a broad background in biology as well as plant pathology and enabled me. I am particularly grateful to Bill Bushnell, John Rowell, Bill
Kennedy, the rest of the faculty, students and employees (especially the office and laboratory staff) for freely offering their knowledge
and counsel and their general helpfulness during those years. Also, the generosity of the people of Minnesota in providing good,
affordable married student quarters on campus.
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Mary and I have three children, all born during my graduate student days. They all have successful careers, one a physicist working
in computer chip design in Vancouver, the second a professor of German literature at the University of New Brunswick, the third a policy
advisor in the Government of Saskatchewan. Alas, no plant pathologists.
Would I do it all again? If I was 23 years old today, I would indeed set out to be a plant pathologist!
John was my husband’s youngest brother. My latest memories of John are how helpful he was to my husband and me. When my husband was in the hospital with cancer John flew out and ran numerous errands for us . This was part of John’s persona, he saw what needed to be done and he simply did it. He did these things from a kindness that never asked for thanks.
When my husband was discharged from the hospital John and Mary could not have been more helpful. We have tried to tell them how much we appreciated everything they did for us. They were simply the kind of people when they saw a need they did what they could.
We know that we can never repay John, but hopefully we will be able to help Mary in the future. I would like to add this prayer for Mary and family.
Guide Me Through These Dark Days
O Lord, I am torn with grief
I know you are there, but I cannot see past
my sorrow and tears.
Be with me, Lord, and do not take
my unhappiness to heart
Rather, work within me to guide me through
these dark days
and bring your light to my life
so that I may see your goodness, even in my mourning.
John accidentally pocketed our house and car keys and went to Regina with them. So I decided to write him:
Dear John & Mary
I would like to thank both of you for all the help you were to us.
George and I certainly appreciate everything you did for us.
However I notice John seems to have a problem. I am sure he is not
(as of yet) a kleptomaniac. However he is in the first stage. At
the present time he is still only a key-o-manic. I have been
phoning to see if there is a chapter for key-o-maniacs in Winnipeg.
At the present time I have been unable to find one. Possibly
it might be a good idea when you come back to Winnipeg for you
start one. Since you are used to public speaking it would be a real
asset for you to have it here. You may be amazed at how many people you
would be able to help. You could call it key-o-maniacs anonymous. Of
course this is only a suggestion on my part.
May I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
Myrtle
--------------------------------
Here is John's reply
--------------------------------
Myrtle,
Thanks for the helpful advice on dealing with my propensity to pocket
your keys. As with many other things, others have already thought of
many of your "key" ideas. The War Amps, for example, have for years
made it their business to pocket the keys of others and eventually
return them to their rightful owners. Nobody seems to think they have a
problem, emotional or otherwise.
Perhaps you did not know that the War Amps have a cadre of volunteers,
all of whom have been assigned a quota for the number of keys they have
to turn in. When they are a little short on their quota, they just
randomly go pick up keys to turn in. The War Amps picks up kudos for
returning "lost" keys and everybody wins (more or less).
So you see, as a War Amp volunteer, I saw easy pickin's for two sets of
keys to help meet my quota for the month. That's my story and I'm
stick'en to it!
Incidentally, I don't know what General Motors wants for a replacement
key and remote, but Honda wants more than $400.00 for theirs. In other
words, it is more than an inconvenience to lose a set of car keys. By
now you should have your car keys. If not, please let me know, because
I paid good money for insurance to make sure Canada Post would get them
there.
John
John was an important early influence in my career, as I am sure he was to many others, especially in his administrative roles later. So I thought I could share some details of our association. I started graduate studies in Plant Pathology in Minnesota in 1967, about the same time that John began his Ph.D. work there after spending some time working in extension in Manitoba. John was the first Canadian I had a chance to get to know, so I drilled him excessively about Canada. He was such a good spokesman that I elected to move to British Columbia for my Ph.D. studies much later after serving in the army as a draftee. I especially enjoyed his sense of humor, which I later came to see was typically Canadian, with a good, but subtle (compared to U.S. humor which mostly lacks subtlety) dose of spice. His responsibilities in his later life and career required that he downplay this, so I constantly teased him about becoming far too respectable for his own good. During the few years that John and I were both in graduate studies, my wife and I spent some time socially with John and Mary. They were gracious hosts—John was especially generous with his Canadian Club, which, frankly, neither of us could afford at that time. They also introduced us to Crokinole, which we liked so much that we bought a board and introduced the game to our two boys as well as to many others in the states. We really enjoyed being with John and Mary—they were true friends. John was conscientious about staying in touch with us after he graduated. Back then this entailed actually writing letters and sending them in envelopes with stamps affixed. I always enjoyed comparing notes with John regarding our careers, especially as he gained perspective and insight into the system as an administrator. When possible we spent time together at meetings. I always valued his opinions about things. While memory fails as to details, I know that some of John’s advice was important in various stages of my advancement in academia. Now we live in Washington, within easy driving distance of SE BC. John's influence was ultimately part of our good decision to move here.
John was a special and valued friend. He will be sorely missed.
Jim Groth
Professor of Plant Pathology (Ret.)
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN
858 Lindsay Road
Colville, WA 99114
e-mail: larchsavage@yahoo.com
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