Oral History Interview, Walter Stevenson (1570)

Abstract

Walter Stevenson came to UW Madison as a graduate student in plant pathology where he immediately hit the ground running with research projects and discoveries. His four years of graduate school were spent studying a wide-spread pea virus and finding a way to manage it. Wanting a career in Extension and research, Walter left Madison to work at Purdue University focusing on vegetable crops around the state of Indiana. With a strong interest in potatoes, Walter was recruited back to Madison as a vegetable virologist. Walter spent a lot of time with his team scouting fields and doing research. They found a way to reduce sprays, harvest a better yield, and reduce disease in potatoes. They developed the program, WISDOM. From there, they developed Healthy Grown Potato which earned Wisconsin the reputation for being an environmentally green state. Walter's entire career revolved around the Wisconsin Idea for he spent his time traveling from around Wisconsin to other countries such as Thailand and Australia to teach growers about WISDOM, exchange ideas, and find answers to problems through research.