Dr. Glenn W. Burton, 95, of Tifton died Tuesday, November 22, 2005, at his residence. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, November 25, 2005, at the First United Methodist Church in Tifton. Rev. Sam Rogers will officiate with burial to follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Talmadge Webb, Frank McGill, A. W. Johnson, Jeff Wilson, Gale Buchanan and Wayne Hanna. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Loyalty Sunday School Class of the First United Methodist Church of Tifton. The family will receive friends on Friday, November 25, 2005, from 1:00 p.m. until the service at Tifton's First United Methodist Church.
Dr. Burton was an internationally renowned agronomist and his accomplishments in both forage and turf development are truly astonishing. Beginning with “Coastal Bermuda” grass, a forage hybrid released in 1943 that now covers more than 10 million acres, seven additional Bermuda forage hybrids were released. In addition to this, he released two sudangrass varieties, one napier grass hybrid and three Bermuda grass turf hybrids. The research behind these accomplishments is described in more than 750 publications and resulted in his receiving more than 60 honors of which the most prestigious were his election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1975, the U.S. President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service in 1980 and the National Medal of Science in 1982. The research of which Dr. Burton was most proud was his work with pearl millet, which made major contributions to the green revolution in arid parts of India and Africa. Within a few years after his hybrids were first used in India, the annual millet output more than doubled. This huge increase is thought to have saved millions from starving. During his long career, he consulted with fellow agronomists in 55 countries, including China and the former Soviet Union.
Dr. Burton was born on May 5, 1910, in Clatonia, Nebraska and was the only child of Joseph Fearn Burton and Nellie Rittenberg Burton, both deceased. In 1915, they moved to a farm near Bartley, Nebraska, where he grew up helping his father farm with horse-drawn implements. From the beginning, he had an insatiable curiosity and he loved to solve problems. He would often say, "We haven't learned the best way to do anything yet." He always credited his father with teaching him both the importance and the rewards of hard work.
He graduated from Bartley High School in 1927 and went to the University of Nebraska. He originally intended to study agricultural education, but after encouragement from Professor F. D. Keim, he turned to agronomy. He went to Rutgers University where he earned both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. In 1934, he and Helen Maureen Jeffryes were married. She had majored in home economics and became a dietitian. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary before her death in 1995.
In April of 1936, they moved to Tifton where he took a position as Principal Geneticist with the Division of Forage Crops and Diseases of the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station. He continued in that position as Head of the Grass Breeding Department for more than 61 years. After his formal retirement in 1997, he continued his research program with funding from his salary savings. In 1950, when the Coastal Plains Experiment Station became part of the University of Georgia, he became a member of the faculty of the College of Agriculture, serving as Chairman of the Agronomy Division until 1964 when he was named Distinguished Alumni Foundation Professor.
He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Tifton. For many years, he taught the college Sunday School class and sang in the choir. He also served on the Board of Stewards and as a lay speaker.
In 1996, he established the Glenn and Helen Burton Feeding the Hungry Scholarship Fund at the University of Georgia. This fund supports a doctoral student in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a doctoral student in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. He also established scholarships at the University of Nebraska and Morningside College where Helen began her undergraduate education.
Dr. Burton once said, "Helping feed the hungry of the world is my greatest accomplishment. It was important to me because I saw those hungry people and I was able to help them."
Dr. Burton is survived by five children and their spouses, Betsy Fowler of Clayton, Bob and Mary Burton of Athens, Tom and Dorris Burton of St. Simons, Island, Joe and Linda Burton of Raleigh, North Carolina and Richard Burton of Tifton. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the University of Georgia Foundation and designated as "The Glenn and Helen Burton Feeding the Hungry Scholarship". Please mail donations to: Burton Memorial, 224 Dawson Hall, UGA, Athens, GA 30602.
Memorial donations may also be sent to his church, designated to the Memorial Fund at Tifton's First United Methodist Church, 107 W. 12th St., Tifton, GA 31794.