O. W. Barnett is a native of Arkansas receiving his B.S.A. in 1961 and M.S. in 1964 from the University of Arkansas. A postdoc followed the Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Wisconsin in 1969 at the Scottish Crop Research Institute in Dundee, Scotland. His 23 years in the Department of Plant Pathology and Physiology at Clemson University in South Carolina included a year’s sabbatical in Australia where he worked at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute in Adelaide, South Australia. From 1992 to February 2002, Dr. Barnett served as professor and head of the Department of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University and currently continues as a professor in the department. Dr. Barnett’s research career included work with many different virus diseases including plants such as white clover, peach trees, squash, cowpeas, iris, and many other ornamental and leguminous plants. He characterized viruses of these plants, developed diagnostic tests, studied virus epidemiology and vector transmission, and delved into taxonomy of potyviruses. Dr. Barnett’s career in academia includes over 30 years of experience with plant viruses and student/postdoc mentorship and nearly 10 years of experience administering a comprehensive Plant Pathology Department.
Dr. Barnett has actively served the profession of plant pathology and has been in an appointed or elected APS office for over 26 consecutive years. He was secretary/treasurer, vice president, president, and Southern Division Councilor in the Southern Division of The American Phytopathological Society. He served APS as secretary, vice president, president elect, president, and past president. He served on the APS Foundation Board for 8 years, director for 2 years, and on the APS Public Policy Board for 10 years, director for 2 years. Dr. Barnett also was an associate editor (1980 to 1982) and senior editor (1985 to 1987) of
