Gustavus Adolphus College Professor Emeritus of Biology and founding Executive Director of Linnaeus Arboretum Charles P. Mason passed away, Monday, May 10, 2010, in St. Peter at the age of 77.
Dr. Mason served the College from 1967 to 1997. He taught numerous biology courses, conducted research on- and off-campus, was founder and executive director of Gustavus’s Linnaeus Arboretum for many years, founder and first president of the College’s Sigma Xi Club, and twice served as exchange professor at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan.
Mason, a native of Rhode Island, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Rhode Island, a master’s degree in botany from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Ph.D. in botany from Cornell University and its Marine Biological Laboratory. Mason received a prestigious Charles A. Lindbergh Grant for research on the use of Cyanobacterin as an herbicide in controlling weeds in the natural environment.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 14 at First Lutheran Church in St Peter. Visitation will be held Thursday, May 13 from 5-7 p.m. at the church and will continue one hour prior to the service. Memorials preferred to the Linnaeus Arboretum and First Lutheran Church.
Mason is survived by his wife, Harriet; son, Grant (Susie) Mason; daughter Gale (Emiliano) Mason-Chagil; and grandchildren, Hannah, Will, Amanda, Drew, Teodoro, and Grant.
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