Objective(s):
The objectives of this workshop are to describe the scientific contributions of early North American pomologists, present their unique and lasting impacts on the world of horticulture, and provide current pomologists with aspirational role models for our own work.

Scientific progress is built upon the efforts of those who have come before us, and through their experimentation and discoveries, our own work advances. This is certainly true of early pomologists who applied discoveries in genetics, physiology and plant development to improve the germplasm and production systems that help supply the world with flavorful and nutritious fruits. Marshall Wilder, Ulysses Hedrick, Elizabeth White, Frederick Coville, George Darrow, Paul Shephard and Wilfred Brierley were seven such individuals who made a lasting impact on North American horticulture. Even though buildings, cultivars and American Pomological Society awards are named after them, many pomologists are not familiar with their work.