0533. Elwyn Marshall Meader (1910 - )
Born: 1910
Died:
0533. Elwyn Marshall Meader (1910 - )
Elwyn Marshall Meader, son of Dana W. Meader (1882-1964) [0425] and Annie Marshall (1885-1964), was born in Rochester, NH March 31, 1910. July 11, 1938 he married Virginia Allison Park at Pittsfield, NH, born February 7, 1910 the daughter of Edward Horace Park and Alice Louise Dickey. The couple lived on a farm originally part of and adjoining the "home" farm in Meaderboro, which had been owned by the Meader family for more than 200 years.
He was a horticulturist and plant breeder. He had his B.S. degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1937 and his M.S. from Rutgers in 1941. He was employed by the Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, MD. In 1946-7 he was a horticulturist for the U.S. Military Government in Korea. In 1948 he was a horticulturist at the University of New Hampshire Agricultural Experimental Station in Durham, and he retired from there as a Professor in 1966. In 1978 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of New Hampshire.
He began his fruit and vegetable breeding in the 1930s. Some of his more famous introductions are the Reliance peach, Mericrest nectarine and the raspberry varieties Fall Red and Fall Gold. One of his varieties is the Meader blueberry. A recent introduction is a persimmon which thrives on the Meader farm. Also named "Meader," this persimmon proved hardy and fruitful following minus 25 degrees F. temperatures. He and his work are discussed in New Hampshire Profiles April, 1976, p.16.
The children of Elwyn Meader and Virginia Park were:
2154 i. Allison Virginia Meader, born March 8, 1940.
2155 ii. John Park Meader, born August 15, 1941.