Homer M Lebaron

Homer M. LeBaron was born May13, 1926 in southern Alberta, Canada, the third in a family of 10 children, growing up on a diversified irrigation farm. He obtained a B.S. degree in 1955 and M.S. in 1957 from Utah State University, and in 1960 receivd a Ph.D. degree from Cornell University. From 1960 to 1964, Dr. LeBaron was employed as a plant physiologist at the Virginia Tech Experiment Station in Norfolk, Virginia.

From 1964 to 1991, Dr. LeBaron was employed by Geigy Chemical Corporation and CIBA-GEIGY (later Novartis, now Syngenta). For the latter nine years he was Senior Research Fellow in Biochemistry and New Technology and Basic Research Departments, where he had the responsibility for coordinating and directing outside basic research on all CIBA-GEIGY agricultural products.

Dr. LeBaron has been a member of the International Weed Science society, Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), American Society of Agronomy, American Chemical Society, Entomological Society of America, American Phytopathological Society, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), Sigma Xi, Aquatic Plant Management Society, European Weed Research Society, and about 10 other regional, national or international scientific societies.

Homer has held numerous leadership positions, including being on the Board of Directors of several of these scientific societies. He served as president of the Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS) in 1969-70, of the Southern Weed Science Society (SWSS) in 1986-87, and of WSSA in 1989-90; the only scientist to have served as president of three weed science societies.

In 1961 Dr. LeBaron received the Best Scientific Paper Award at the NEWSS; in 1978 was elected a Fellow in the WSSA, in 1988 received the Distinguished Service Award in the SWSS, and a USDA Certificate of Appreciation in 1990 for outstanding leadership in groundwater research programs.