JOHN BUKOVAC’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE: A RECORD OF PARTICIPATION, SERVICE AND IMPACT

I feel especially privileged this afternoon to have this opportunity to participate in the opening session of a symposium that focuses on a topic, Growth and Development of Fruit Crops, and on a man, Professor Martin John Bukovac, that are both very dear to my heart.

While it is just a fortunate coincidence that I am, at this point in time, the elected Chair of the Fruit Section of the International Society for Horticultural Science, I hope that this position will lend some credibility to my remarks today.
More importantly I am also a contemporary of, indeed, a colleague with great commonality in research interests with John Bukovac.
In any case, I feel well positioned to comment on John’s contributions to international horticultural science.

When I first learned that this symposium was being planned I reminded Professor Flore (not that he needed any reminding) that John Bukovac was very much an international man of science, that his colleagues from many countries would like to attend, and that the International Society for Horticultural Science would be honoured if the proceedings were to be published and distributed world-wide as a volume of Acta Horticulturae. Suffice is to say that Prof.
Flore and his committee agreed and asked me to bring this symposium proposal before the ISHS Executive Committee meeting in Auckland earlier this year.

These ISHS leaders were enthusiastic in their support of the event as a Fruit Section sponsored symposium and I am pleased, but not at all surprised, to see many prominent scientists from abroad here this week.
I am ecstatic about the quality of the program, and I know that the proceedings will eventually be recognized as one of the classic volumes of Acta Horticulturae.

The title chosen by Dr.
Flore and his committee, Growth and Development of Fruit Crops, not only ensures that this volume of Acta will be very popular, I note that the subject areas to be emphasized accurately reflect many of the important contributions made by John Bukovac over a long and illustrious research career.
My sincere congratulations to Dr.
Flore and his colleagues here at Michigan State for convening a highly appropriate and assuredly successful event, for choosing an excellent title, and for electing to cooperate with the ISHS as the sponsor and publisher.

John Bukovac’s stature as an outstanding American scientist is unquestioned, and we will hear many accolades and anecdotes, from Professor Dennis and others, that will make that perfectly clear.
It is my place today to provide a little insight into his activities in the international arena.

John’s scientific contributions, whether they be plenary addresses, featured lectures, or contributed papers and posters, are both exceedingly numerous and occurred as regular as clockwork over a career spanning nearly 45 years.
Dr.
Bukovac has also counselled many students and young scientists from around the world and has been generous in his service to his professional societies, both nationally and internationally.
However, I strongly suspect that it is the quality of his science and tact on international horticultural science.