James E. Kuntz passed away April 4 at Oakwood Village-West in Madison. He earned a doctorate in plant pathology at the UW in 1945. He developed the Wisconsin 55, a tomato variety which is still marketed while a plant breeder for the Wisconsin Seed Company in Racine. In 1947, he returned to the university with a joint appointment in plant pathology and forestry. As an associate professor, his department sent him to observe and study forestry schools and field stations in Western Europe. He was a professor for 40 years and was known for his enthusiastic and vivacious approach to working on disease projects with his numerous graduate and doctoral students. Together, they discovered the causes of oak wilt, butternut canker, maple and walnut die-back, poplar canker, and other forest and shade tree diseases.
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