Mark Stennes received his MS degree in Plant Pathology (1981) working with Dave French. He was passionate about trees and became a leader in professional arboriculture. When his life was cut short due to illness, he was recognized for his leadership in Minnesota’s arboriculture industry and role in supporting community forestry with the establishment of the Mark Stennes Award. The award for 2026 was presented to Bob Blanchette at the recent Minnesota Shade Tree Conference by several of his past students who took his Diseases of Forest and Shade Trees class.