JARS v54n3 - In Memoriam: Gert Forum Petersen

In Memoriam: Gert Forum Petersen
Carl Adam Lehmann

Gert Forum Petersen died January 1, 2000, in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the age of 69. Joining the Danish Chapter nineteen years ago, he soon became involved with propagation and seed, and with a dentist's keenness for excellence it did not take him long to bring our seed exchange to the highest standards, including the elimination of open pollinated seeds from distribution. He hoped the ARS would some day follow the same path.

Being of help to others was practiced in many fields, and bringing knowledge to members had a very high priority. Seed was being crushed in the mail, and Gert set out to find out why and how to avoid it. This included counting 50,000 seeds under microscope! He also instructed in pollination practices, and how to use artificial light for propagation.

For his never ending commitment, the ARS gave him the Silver Medal, and it was a proud day in Gert's life. He is already sorely missed.