In Memoriam: Dr. Gustav Mehlquist
Lynn Watts
Bellevue, Washington

Dr. Gustav Mehlquist of Storrs, Connecticut, passed away on August 28, 1999, at the age of 93. Born on April 13, 1906, in Eskilstuna, Sweden, he immigrated to the United States in 1927 and became a naturalized citizen in 1933.

After graduating in 1936 with Highest Distinction in botany from the University of Connecticut, and after receiving his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Mehlquist was an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and then a research horticulturist at Missouri Botanical Gardens. He later became a full professor in botany at Washington University in St. Louis. In 1952 he returned to the University of Connecticut as professor of plant breeding and biology systematics and evolutionary biology.

As a member of the American Rhododendron Society, Connecticut Horticultural Society, and Connecticut Nurseryman's Association, he published many scientific papers. Well known to us as a plant breeder and lecturer, several of his rhododendron hybrids have been distributed commercially in recent years.

Dr. Mehlquist is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Ellen Ingrid and Robert Keating, and grandson, Kenneth, all of North Carolina.

It is with great devotion that we remember this outstanding member and contributor to our Society.