Orville Vogel

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Orville A. Vogel was U.S. Department of Agriculture--Agriculture Research Service scientist at Washington State University from 1931-1972. He bred wheats that helped usher in the Green Revolution.

Vogel was born in 1907 in Pilger, Stanton County, Nebraska, one of four children William and Emelia Paege Vogel. He graduated from high school in 1925 and received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1929 and 1931, respectively. He married Bertha Berkman in 1931 and began his career as a wheat breeder at Washington State College (now University) in Pullman, Wash., in 1931. Vogel spent his entire career as a USDA-ARS scientists and faculty member at WSU.

Cecil Salmon, a biologist working in post-WWII Japan, collected 16 varieties of wheat, including one called “Norin 10”, which was very short, thus less likely to suffer wind damage. Salmon sent it to Orville Vogel in Washington in 1949. Vogel began crossing Norin 10 with other wheats to make new short-strawed varieties. Vogel led the team that developed Gaines,the first of several new varieties that produced 25 percent higher yields than the varieties they replaced.

Vogel shared his germplasm with Norman Borlaug, who later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the “green revolution.” Borlaug publicly acknowledged Vogel’s contributions to his research.

In retirement, Vogel established a fund to help finance wheat research. He and his wife, Bertha, matched donations to help launch the fund.

Today, Vogel is honored with the Orville A. Vogel Endowed Chair in Wheat Breeding and Genetics, at Washington State University. On September 15, 2007, WSU honored him by naming its new $37-million plant biosciences building the Orville A. Vogel Plant BioSciences Building.

Vogel is WSU's most famous scientist. His awards include: ¤ 1962 -- U.S. Department of Agriculture Achievement Award ¤ 1969 -- Crop Science Award of the American Society of Agronomy ¤ 1975 -- National Medal of Science ¤ 1977 -- WSU Distinguished Alumnus Award ¤ 1987 -- Induction to the Agricultural Research Service Science Hall of Fame ¤ 1987 -- Washington State's first Medal of Merit ¤ 1990 -- John Scott Award.

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