Boise, Idaho
February 24, 2009
 Leslie
L. “Bill” Dean, a retired
University of Idaho bean breeder, received the Governor’s
Award for Excellence in Technical Innovation on Feb. 24 at the
2009 Larry Branen Idaho Ag Summit.
Dean’s nomination—in recognition of his outstanding
accomplishments in the development, production and marketing of
dry and garden beans—was initiated by the Idaho Bean Commission.
Kathy Stewart-Williams, University of Idaho coordinator of the
Idaho Foundation Seed Program in Kimberly, said the Idaho bean
industry has “benefited immeasurably from Bill’s gifts” and from
his steadfast commitment to the protection of standards and
quality in Idaho seed beans.
A native of Twin Falls, Dean earned his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from the University of Idaho during the 1940s and his
Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1951. He released his first
beans for the University of Idaho’s Bean Improvement Program
before completing his master’s degree and joined the University
of Idaho faculty as a Twin Falls-based assistant plant
pathologist for bean diseases in 1950. By the time he retired
from the University in Idaho in 1975, Dean had released 18 dry
edible and snap beans.
According to Stewart-Williams, several of Dean’s milestone
beans, including UI 111 and UI 114, remain cornerstones of the
North American pinto bean industry. UI 111, to which all modern
pinto beans grown in North America trace their roots, was among
the first cultivars developed by hybridization in its market
class worldwide.
While at the University of Idaho, Dean also released the first
commercially acceptable snap bean variety with high resistance
to the curly top virus.
After his university retirement, Dean continued to breed dry
edible beans for the enterprise he founded, Idaho Seed Bean Co.
Among his popular private beans are the pintos Fiesta, Apache
and Pinata; the pinks ISB-462 and ISB 473, and the navy beans
Admiral, Aspen and Frigate.
Dean was a founding member of the International Bean Improvement
Cooperative and led the successful campaign for zero tolerance
of bacterial blight of beans in Idaho. He is the recipient of
meritorious service awards from the International Bean
Improvement Cooperative, Alberta Bean Growers Association,
Western Canada Pulse Growers Association, Idaho Crop Improvement
Association and University of Idaho.
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s
flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate
education and research university, bringing insight and
innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University
researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and
contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only
institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie
Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s
student population includes first-generation college students
and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree
options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of
a large university with the intimacy of small learning
communities. |
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