PAA to induct four as Honorary Life Members

The Potato Association of America (PAA) will induct Bill Campbell, Warren Henneger, Ed Lulai and Willem Schrage as Honorary Life Members during its 100th annual meeting this August in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Bill Campbell is a former PAA president, who served in 2011. He spent 30 years as a potato disease control specialist with the state of Alaska and produced disease-tested seed, inspected certified seed fields and helped potato growers improve their production.

Ed Lulai is a research chemist for USDA-ARS at the Northern Crop Science Laboratory in Fargo, North Dakota. His research in the molecular/biochemical mechanism governing periderm formation helped establish a bruise-testing system for potatoes.

Warren Henninger, chief development officer for Ag World Support Systems (AWSS), was born and raised on a Pennsylvania potato farm. Henninger previously worked as the Malheur county potato and onion Extension agent. He also worked as a field manager and researcher for Simplot, Carnation and Nestle, before establishing AWSS.

Willem Schrage was North Dakota’s director of potato programs until his retirement on April 4. A native of the Netherlands, Schrage’s career in the potato industry took him across the world. Before working for North Dakota, he worked at the International Potato Center (IPC) in Lima, Peru, the IPC regional center in Izmir, Turkey, the IPC in Tunis, Tunisia, as seed potato specialist for the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture and head of the potato inspection program for Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture from 1994-2007.