Dear Society Member,

It is with great sadness that we report that our esteemed colleague, Dr. Edward Hacskaylo, died at his home on 19 January, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona at the age of 92. He is remembered for his many contributions in the ecology and physiology of mycorrhiza and during his career and in retirement for his encouragement of many young investigators to pursue mycorrhiza research.

He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from George Washington University, and served as a research fellow at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, with Professor Elias Melin. His research career began with USDA – ARS and continued as Leader of a Pioneering Research Unit with the USDA-Forest Service. He retired in 1982.

Through his leadership the North American Conference on Mycorrhizae (NACOM) series was established in 1969, leading to the start of the International Conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM) in 1996. In 2015 he was recognized by the International Mycorrhiza Society and presented the award of Pioneer in Mycorrhiza Research at the 8th ICOM. He was active in many professional societies and associations and received numerous awards, including the Barrington-Moore Memorial Research Award from the Society of American Foresters and the Outstanding Scientist Award from the USDA.

He was author or co-author of 81 scientific publications. After retirement he volunteered his expertise to various non-profit organizations.

His advocacy and encouragement for mycorrhiza research will be sorely missed.