Professor Ron Weedon dies Tuesday

Weedon, who celebrated his 71st birthday May 16, became known as an expert in botany, educating scores of students in health sciences and agriculture. He came to Chadron State as a biology instructor in August 1971 and helped usher incredible growth in CSC’s science offerings.

In addition to teaching courses in botany, he instructed CSC’s microbiology courses for 29 years. The professor’s research involved medicinal plants and he was instrumental in developing the High Plains Herbarium at CSC.

 The herbarium grew to be the second largest in Nebraska in the 1990s, with more than 30,000 specimens. It is larger than any herbarium in South Dakota and the largest of CSC’s peer institutions in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Countless students, many of whom are among CSC’s most successful alumni, joined Weedon’s research projects and often developed presentations from the experiences.

Weedon took pride in CSC’s science programs, which grew exponentially during his tenure.

“In biology, we have come to the level of one of the best undergraduate programs around for preparing students for careers in the health professions,” Weedon said in a 2008 interview. “We also have much improved programs in environmental resource management, wildlife management, the plant sciences and watershed management. The geoscience program is back in business.”

He also was instrumental in getting a book published that was written by one of the herbarium’s contributors, the late Claude Barr of rural Smithwick, S.D. The 237-page book, “Jewels of the Plains, was published in 1983, complete with 119 color photographs of prairie plants the rancher had studied.

Within his first years at CSC, Weedon became active in the Great Plains Flora Association, a group of nine colleges and universities in the Great Plains that took up the task of pinpointing and charting all of the vascular plants in the region.

The professor became known for his long hours on campus and took a philanthropic role in many of CSC’s programs. He contributed to the construction of the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center and, more recently, donated funds to the new High Plains Wildlife Collection of taxidermy.

Weedon labeled himself an “old Idaho farm boy.” He worked for the U.S. Forest Service and had jobs as a high school teacher, college instructor and a visiting assistant professor of biology before coming to CSC.

He earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of Kansas, the latter in 1973. He completed his undergraduate studies at the College of Idaho in 1964.