NORFOLKÑDuring an elegant reception at Norfolk Botanical GardenÕs Rose Garden Hall on Saturday, Oct. 4, Old Dominion University and Norfolk Botanical Garden announced the creation of the J. Robert Stiffler Chair of Horticulture and Botany honoring Virginian-Pilot gardening columnist Robert Stiffler. The professorship was made possible by a $1 million dollar anonymous gift and marks the beginning of collaborative efforts between the two institutions to pursue activities in teaching and research related to botanical scholarship and practical horticultural applications in the Mid-Atlantic region.
ÒThe establishment of the J. Robert Stiffler Chair is a significant step towards ODU becoming recognized as a national leader in biological sciences and particularly in horticulture and botany,Ó said Richard Gregory, dean of the College of Sciences.
A national search for the new professor is currently underway and a candidate will be chosen by fall 2004. ÒIdeally weÕre looking for someone who works on plants of interest to regional gardeners,Ó said Lytton Musselman, Mary Payne Hogan professor of botany and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at ODU. ÒThis will be the GardenÕs first research position and it is an exciting step forward.Ó
ÒThis professorship allows the Garden to fulfill the research component of our mission, which we have not been able to accomplish until now,Ó said Don Buma Executive Director of Norfolk Botanical Garden. ÒWe all feel fortunate to have the opportunity for top-notch research to be conducted at our Garden.Ó
The Stiffler Chair will be a tenured position and will have office space at Old Dominion and a greenhouse and research space at the Garden. The chair will teach classes, supervise graduate students and conduct research.
Author of Gardening in Southeastern Virginia & Northeastern North Carolina: The Best of 20 Years of Gardening Advice, Stiffler grew up in Iowa where he began gardening with his mother and grandmother at the age of five. Stiffler earned his degree in English and worked in sales, the printing industry and the horticulture and agriculture fertilizer industry. The Navy called him to Virginia Beach where he began writing gardening news for the Virginian-Pilot in 1975 and has remained there every since.
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