A Reputation Re-established

Abstract

By 1949 it seemed that the enormous contribution made by Daniel McAlpine to plant pathology was disappearing from Australia’s collective memory. Willis (1949) drew attention to the lack of tributes from the Australian plant pathology fraternity following McAlpine’s death, which he clearly regarded as disappointing to say the least. The only ones found had been those from the Victorian College of Pharmacy, detailed in Chap. 4 and one from graduates in agricultural science from Sydney University probably written by L.W. Waterhouse (Anon. 1932) who was a committee member of the Sydney University Graduates Association (SUAGA) at the time. In the meantime, however, two Australian plant pathologists, Stanislaus Fish and Charles McGee, respectively Government Biologists for the Victorian and New South Wales State Departments of Agriculture, had decided to rectify the situation. Erica Wedge had provided Fish with her father’s correspondence and notes on his personal history, believing something should be done to mark the Centenary of McAlpine’s birth. In June 1949, Fish (1949) wrote to McGee, sending him the enlarged photographic portrait of McAlpine taken in 1898 plus some biological notes. In his response, McGee (1949) proposed using the notes to prepare a brief entry in the Plant Disease Recorder and suggested that action be taken to have the year of McAlpine’s birth commemorated by the issue of a commemorative postage stamp in the same way as had been done for William Farrer in 1945.