Professor Emeritus of Agriculture

Agriculture has been a great blessing to me.  My time at MJC was the highlight of my Ag career.  It all started when Ernie Tarone, the MJC Agricultural Studies Program chair, contacted me in 1957 to ask if I would be interested in developing the Environmental Horticulture Program.  I said yes, and so began a long and “fruitful” career at MJC.

UC Davis and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo developed similar environmental horticulture programs at that time and MJC’s program made strong connections with both universities.  The MJC program included the topics of plant identification, propagation, landscape design, landscape installation and maintenance.  Classes began in 1959 and I am proud to say that women students were finally allowed to join agricultural classes as a result of the creation of this program.

It was a great pleasure to develop and teach these classes for the next 25 years.  And, I’m also quite proud that one of my former students, Dale Pollard, is currently teaching those offerings at MJC today!

- D. Dwight “Doc” Wait