Richard P. Korf
| Richard Paul Korf | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1925 |
| Died | August 20, 2016 (aged 91) Ithaca, New York |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Mycology |
| Patrons |
Herbert Hice Whetzel Harry Morton Fitzpatrick |
| Alma mater |
Riverdale Country School Cornell University |
| Known for | Founding co-editor of the journal Mycotaxon |
Richard Paul "Dick" Korf (May 28, 1925 – August 20, 2016) was an American mycologist and founding co-editor of the journal Mycotaxon. He was a preeminent figure in the study of discomycetes and made significant contributions to the field of fungal nomenclature and taxonomy. Korf was Professor Emeritus of Mycology at Cornell University and Director Emeritus of Cornell University’s Plant Pathology Herbarium.
Korf was born on May 28, 1925, to an upper-middle-class family with homes in Westchester County, New York, and New Fairfield, Connecticut. While attending the prestigious Riverdale Country School in New York City, Korf was placed in charge of his biology class after their teacher joined the military. "In retrospect," Korf wrote, "I am convinced that this experience had an enormous impact on my future and on my decision to enter the teaching profession."
In 1942, shortly after his 17th birthday, Korf enrolled at Cornell University "with the vague notion that [he] might like to become a gentleman farmer." At the suggestion of botany professor Loren C. Petry, Korf began studying plant pathology under Herbert Hice Whetzel. Korf continued his training under mycologist Harry Morton Fitzpatrick, whom he nicknamed "Prof Fitz." Korf completed his B.S. in botany in 1946 and doctorate in plant pathology and mycology with minors in genetics and general botany in 1950.
Following the completion of his doctorate, Korf spent a year teaching mycology at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He returned to Cornell in 1951 as a faculty member in the Department of Plant Pathology. He was named Associate Professor in 1955 and Professor of Mycology in 1961. He retired in 1992 but continued to teach until 1998, when he was replaced by Kathie Hodge. Korf trained and advised 27 PhD students, including Lekh Raj Batra, William C. Denison, K. P. Dumont, James Kimbrough, Donald H. Pfister, Martin A. Rosinski, Robert L. Shaffer, Robert A. Shoemaker, and Wenying Zhuang.
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