Homer C.
Thompson was born in 1885 in Montgomery County,
Maryland where he received his early education. He
received his B.Sc. (1909), M.S. (1923) and Ph.D. in
botany (1926) from The Ohio State University.
He was Assistant Professor of Horticulture at
Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College from
1909-1910. He became Associate Professor of
Horticulture at South Carolina College of Agriculture
in 1910. From 1911-1913 he was Assistant
Horticulturist with the U.S.D.A. in Washington, D.C.
He became horticulturist in 1913 and remained with the
Federal department until 1918 when he became professor
with the Department of Vegetable Crops at Cornell
University. In 1921 he became head of the department
and continued until his retirement in 1951. He was
made Emeritus Professor in 1951.
Professor Thompson was president of the American
Society of Horticultural Science in 1924. He was a
member of A.A.A.S. and the American Society of Plant
Physiologists.
Dr. Thompson has been the author of several
textbooks as follows:
Vegetable Crops (1923, 31, 39, 57 - 5th
edition with Wm. C. Kelly)
Sweet Potato Production and Handling (1929)
Asparagus Production (1942)
Dr. Thompson was for many years one of the
outstanding vegetable teachers and advisors to
graduate students on vegetable crops in this country.
He was always an outstanding member of the American
Society for Horticultural Science. Undoubtedly the
excellent reputation of the Department of Vegetable
Crops at Cornell University has been due to his
enthusiasm, competence, and good judgment.
