A Conversation with Richard P. Korf

Abstract

Richard Korf, long-time member of the Plant Pathology Faculty in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, in an interview by Prof. Milton Zaitlin on February 17, 2012 described his department’s early history and the early days of the evolution of mycology and plant pathology – as well as how his interest in the subject was stimulated in 1942 by his encounter with a few great teachers. He discusses the leaders of his field during its formative years. His own productive career included producing a scholarly journal, MYCOTAXON, and even in retirement still serves an editor. Among the innovations Korf instituted were the use of camera-ready submission to speed publication and a unique non-blind refereeing system. This interview is an elaboration of an article about the history of mycology that he published in 1991. His lifelong interest in the theater and acting led to his serving as Chair of the Theatre Arts Department at Cornell at one point. To accommodate various downloading speeds, three alternative QuickTime (H.264) files (AppleTV, iPod, iPhone and computer with a QuickTime Player) are provided. Running time is 35 minutes.