Several problems have been identified with the growing of Dahlias for personal enjoyment and by commercial growers. For this reason, a Distinguished Professorship has been established in order to pursue the much needed research in the area of Plant Pathology. Some of the problems which have been identified include; how dahlias are affected by virus, biological control of insects on dahlias, testing for virus, the use of organic, inorganic, foliar fertilizers, and the use of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers on dahlias.
The donors requested that the professorship be named after President Smith in honor of his strong leadership and all that he has done for Washington State University. The donors also acknowledge that President Smith is a plant pathologist and one of his early research papers was on dahlia’s.
Uses and Purposes
The distributions from this fund shall be used to supplement the salary of the holder of the professorship, to pay salaries for his or her assistants, and to pay expenses associated with the holder’s scholarly ‘Nork for dahlia research.