Professor emeritus Mark Windham was awarded the Joseph and Marion Klima Medal at the 2023 ARS National Rose Convention in Shreveport, LA on May 6, 2023, by the American Rose Society (ARS). The award recognizes Windham’s many contributions to the American Rose Magazine and ornamental plant pathology and outreach to rosarians.

“I am honored. I would also like to thank Sara Collins, a research associate within the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, as she was instrumental to the success of the resistance work at the Plateau Station,” Windham said.

The Celebration Awards Banquet, which took place during the National Rose Convention, was attended by more than 300 attendees. At the banquet, Windham gave an address on “A SWOT Analysis of Current Rose Education Activities And Its Implications For The Future of ARS”.

With a career spanning over 30 years, Windham has given more than 150 rose talks at ARS conventions, district meetings and local rose societies. Though retired, Windham continues to have more than 3,000 roses for research and a laboratory at the Plateau Research and Education Center.

Windham is a co-PI of a $4.3 million USDA NIFA SCRI grant for developing sustainable roses.  Two public demonstration plots are being planted in 2023. One plot features roses identified as resistant to rose rosette virus (RRV) in previous research studies and the other features the effectiveness of miticide and antiviral sprays for reducing the impact of RRV on roses.

ARS is a community that promotes the culture and preservation of the Rose. To learn more about ARS, visit rose.org/.