Memories of Emeritus Professor Neil A. Anderson

“The day he cooked mushrooms for us at the lab class, he was so happy!!!” —Nora Altier

“Neil was a volunteer with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station until 2015 when his long-time research collaborator Mike Ostry. I enjoyed watching them work together in the laboratory and their excitement of new discoveries and admired their close, 35 plus years long relationship.”—Jennifer Juzwik

“Neil’s eyes would get bright when he talked about his work with Hypoxylon canker.”—Fred Baker

“I love our trips to do field work, either locally or traveling up North to the Red River Valley. This was 1982 and I was 22 y.o. There were sweet corn plots next to our potato fields. Neil taught me to harvest sweet corn, immediately putting it on ice in the cooler, "to keep the sugar from turning to starch. Go home and blanch the corn for 1 minute, right away, and freeze. This will keep it tasting wonderful." I continued to freeze corn that way for 30 yrs. He had such a joy and passion for simple things.”—Jennifer Lorang

“Early in my time in the Plant Disease Clinic, he occasionally stopped in to say hello.  He was alway very pleasant.  One day he popped in and gave the PDC a copy of his new book, ‘A Field Guide to Common Macrofungi in Eastern Forests and Their Ecosystems Functions.’”—Jennifer Flynn

“Riding with Dr. Anderson and fellow graduate students in the Department's big old Chevy Suburban to conduct potato research at the experimental plots in Becker, MN.  We told stories about our favorite pastimes and Neil shared that he loved to browse the aisles at Home Depot and think up household projects to work on.”—Andy Ryan

“While working on my doctoral dissertation research in the USDA Forest Service annex Neil noticed I had been putting in some late hours and clearly thought I needed to eat more food‚ a common problem for graduate students. At about 7pm Neil walked into the headhouse while I was dissecting stems with giant tray of food plated on old school dinner china. Pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy boat, dinner rolls, mixed vegetables and a glass of water. The works! We talked for a few minutes and said he would grab the dishes in the morning and he hoped they would be empty, then walked out.”—James Jacobs

"Neil was a remarkable individual, scientist, and scholar, who was very committed to the department but also very concerned about the students’ education, their welfare, and their academic experience. At the same time, he was very sensitive to student needs and concerns. He was department head when I was in graduate school and president of PPSO. There were two incidents that I remember where he went out of his way to help us. In one, several students couldn’t afford and weren’t planning to attend the national APS meeting in Albuquerque.  He came to us without our asking and offered a van as transportation. We all made the trip. Later that year one of our graduate students who had completed his program and left the department was involved in a serious traffic accident. Both he and his wife were hospitalized in Lacrosse. During that weekend Neil asked several of us to visit the couple, provided transportation, and asked us to continue our visits let him know how things were going."—Jim Kurle

“Any time shared with him was a learning lesson of wisdom; either at the classroom or working at your lab-office, he was an incredibly dedicated teacher and adviser.”—Nora Altier

“Fundamentally and profoundly, I would have never fallen in love with and dedicated my research career to Streptomyces if Neil hadn't come to my office and said....there is this disease-suppressive soil that I think you should look at.....” —Linda Kinkel

“In 1982 I was one of the first students to be interested in doing molecular biology. He encouraged me and said it was great, but he said  ‘We will make sure you are a biologist first. Always keep on foot in the furrow.’ Great advice!”—Jenny Lorang

“Neil Anderson was member of my committee thesis during my PhD project (1990 - 1994). He was an expert pathologist on forest diseases and potato diseases. My PhD project deal with the screening for resistance to Verticillium wilt and I got a lot of good advice and help from Neil about the pathogen and diseases resistance sources.”—Javier Plasencia

“As a current researcher in the area of Public Health, I often think of Dr. Anderson, who had a strong passion for his research and conducted it with integrity, patience, and kindness to others.  He was one of those people who helped inform my decisions long after I left the Department of Plant Pathology.”—Andy Ryan

“Neil was a mentor in the truest sense. He was always willing to discuss roadblocks I experienced as a student. It is hard not to stay motivated when you see a professor in their 80s spending HOURS in front of a microscope”—James Jacobs

"He was for me a model as a scientist and as a teacher. His enthusiasm, his dynamism, his lifelong optimism,- his passion- were always an inspiration especially when my career was not going well."—Jim Kurle

“Many, but above all, his kindness and human warmth was extraordinary as well as his dedication to the students. Being an outstanding plant pathologist, his modesty and empathy was an example to follow.”—Nora Altier

“Neil was truly a "scholar and a gentleman." He was a wise and gentle teacher based on my experiences as 1) a Ph D student taking his challenging course (genetics of pathogens) and his service on my PhD committee., and 2) co-advising a MSc student in the mid-1990's under his guiding hand.”—Jennifer Juzwik

“Kindness, patience, humility, quiet joy.....all of it.  He was an amazing friend and colleague.”—Linda Kinkel

“He was always positive and encouraging”—Fred Baker

“Neil had already retired when I started as a graduate student in 2003 but I recall that he maintained some small research projects and frequently stopped by the Forest Pathology lab to chat about science. As I was just starting my scientific career it was nice to see that passion for the field still burning bright in someone on the other end of his career. He was an exceedingly kind, humble, and pleasant person to interact with and it always brightened my day when I bumped into him around campus.”—Brett Arenz

“He was such a kind and gentle person. He had an infectious joy for the little things in life and a passion for science.”—Jenny Lorang

“Neil was always kind and helpful with all the students, staff and colleagues. He was a passionate teacher and loved the field work. He would help us to plant potatoes in the field station at Grand Forks, N.D.”—Javier Plasencia

“Friendly”—Jennifer Flynn

“Even though Dr. Anderson was soft-spoken he was able to command the attention of a room filled with students and faculty.  All of us knew that what he had to say was worth listening to.”—Andy Ryan

“His kindness and insistence that we talk through the basic biology of the organisms we were working with”—James Jacobs

"It was not just one thing but instead a whole package. He was knowledgeable about all of plant pathology as a discipline encompassing biology, ecology, in agricultural management. I remember him explaining the wheat rust leaf cycle, not only the complexities of sporulation and the Puccinia pathway, but also the significance of volunteer plants following harvest, the role of honeydew and insects in spore dispersal, the whole remarkable disease ecosystem. At the same time, I admired his personality. He was always gracious, always optimistic, always enthusiastic, but always considerate to us as individuals. After leaving us in the dust with the explanation of rust he followed up – with a wink, I thought – making sure that we understood. With that inspired presentation we had to!"—Jim Kurle

“His legacy transcends the department and the UMN; he was an example of life, Neil has impressed on my own professional career as well as on the way I fill the backpack of human values”—Nora Altier

“His contributions to potato and to forest pathology will be long remembered.”—Jennifer Juzwik

“He was an incredible exemplar of the land grant mission.  His deep legacy is in his students and colleagues, his sharing of his passion for fungi, his willingness to share his knowledge with all, and his joy in science.”—Linda Kinkel

“Neil was meticulous.  His work revealed the role of branch stubs in Hypoxylon canker which had baffled forest pathologist for decades”—Fred Baker

“His expertise in forest and potato diseases, several graduates working in U.S., Canada and various parts of the world. A kind, sincere smile.”—Javier Plasencia

"Broadly, his legacy is the knowledge he passed on to his students and his colleagues. Specifically, his recognition of the significance of “soil suppressiveness” in scab of potatoes has stimulated a legacy of productive research into biocontrol of soil diseases. 

Personally, his example was an inspiration for those of us fortunate enough to know him." —Jim Kurle

When I first arrived in the department, all of the faculty offices were full and there was no office available. Neil Anderson was such a kind and generous person that he opened his office to me and shared his space for over a year. This act of kindness touched me deeply and that first year was full of wonderful memories of shared discussions and superb mentoring that I received. How lucky I was to be able to experience the everyday activities of a distinguished professor up close and personal during that year in a shared office. During the several decades that followed, I found Neil’s mycological investigations were extraordinary endeavors. He had wide interests in fungal genetics, Verticillium and potato diseases as well as fungi that were associated with trees. He did pioneering work on Hypoxylon canker, mycorrhizal fungi including Lacarria, tree seedling diseases, hybrid poplar diseases and many others. His work was always superb and over time, I found that his kindness and generosity to others never dwindled. He was a great scientist, a fine gentleman and a joy to have known.—Bob Blanchette

My first memory of Neil Anderson was as an undergraduate student in the Plant Pathology department in 1980. I was working part time in Ernie Banttari’s virology lab and we had to make a trip to a research station near Fargo to harvest potato samples. Neil Anderson also had research plots there and he joined us for the trip up. Ernie requested that I drive because I think it bothered him that I would be paid for travel time without doing any work (he was a very frugal fellow). Ernie then proceeded to critique my driving  from the back seat. After a few awkward exchanges, Neil stepped into the conversation to complement my driving in a way that stopped Ernie’s harassment. This was part of who Neil Anderson was - an excellent mediator of conflict that left both sides feeling they “won”. During the lengthy drive to Fargo and back Neil and I got to know one another and our friendship was forged. I should add that although Ernie could be gruff at times he was really a softie which is why I think he and Neil were such good friends. 

At the end of that school year Bob Blanchette advertised a part time job working in the Forest Pathology lab. The job paid significantly more so I applied and interviewed with Bob. At the time Bob Blanchette was a new faculty member and shared an office with Neil Anderson. I can’t imagine too many full professors today sharing an office with a new faculty member which again gives you some idea of who Neil was. I got the job with Bob (not sure if Neil put in a good word for me but I like to think so) and turned in my resignation with Ernie.  The position with Bob Blanchette led to an offer for graduate school and I am proud to say Neil Anderson served on my graduate committee for my MS degree (1985).

We should all realize that the small acts of kindness like the ones Neil showed me throughout my time at the University of Minnesota can have profound ripple effects over the lives of others. My life's trajectory was in a small but significant way changed by the opportunities these acts of kindness afforded and for which I will always be very grateful.

I have always had the utmost respect for Neil since that fortuitous car ride to Fargo 44 years ago. His unique ability to find the goodness in others and his desire to help when he could endeared him to many. I wish there were more people like him in the world. He was certainly a person we should all endeavor to emulate.—Lewis Otjen (BS 1982, MS 1985)

“Prof Anderson's legacy will endure through the countless lives he touched, and the knowledge he imparted will continue to inspire and guide us in our future endeavors. During this time of grief, let us remember the joy and knowledge he shared, the challenges he helped us overcome, and the wisdom he imparted. Neil and his beloved wife, Barbara, will be remembered by my wife, our daughter, and myself, as a very kind couple who invited us several times to their lovely house. As we mourn his loss, let us also celebrate the extraordinary life of a remarkable mentor who dedicated himself to the pursuit of knowledge and the development of those around him.” —Tarkus Suganda

"For many of us who were more-or-less successful in our careers,  we can look back on a few individuals (now called influencers, I guess) who were critical to the decisions we made.  Neil Anderson was one of these for me. 

My relationship with Neil started when I graduated in forestry in 1967.  The reason I became interested in Plant Pathology was because I became a lab tech around 1964 for Thor Kommedahl and a host of other faculty of the Department, because I was often lent out to help them with seasonal projects.  Perfect. The variety of things I did was just what I wanted.   

A few of us had elected to enter a new curriculum in the School of Forestry called Forest Science. Lots of science and math but still a respectable number of forest management courses.    This curriculum was really designed for those looking for a graduate academic  future.  After graduation I was accepted in the Department and was looking for an advisor.  My background in forestry and my interest in genetics made me a good fit for Neil. 

Neil was a great advisor. As others have stated, he was a quiet and respectful person who led by example,  and gave his students lots of freedom and lots of good scientific advice.  He taught me how to write my first scientific paper, with the many reviews and drafts.  He also coached me on presenting a seminar and a  paper at a national scientific meeting.  

I was getting close to finishing up in 1968 when all graduate deferments for the Draft  were eliminated.  Neil wrote extensive letters to the Draft Board on my behalf, but it made no impression.  I took advantage of all delays allowed but I was scheduled to be inducted in July.  I finished my thesis and it was accepted and my final oral examination was moved up a bit by Neil.  I believe his sympathy for my plight  was based on how he had gone through the same experience in the 50’s.  I always think of  all that he did for me.  

Much later, in 1974 I became a member of the faculty of the Department,  and Neil and I continued to get along well.  We taught mycology together and served on the committees of our students.  I was working on projects involving fungal genetics,  and he was a great sounding board.   I will always be grateful for our relationship."

Jim Groth