Dr. Frank Arthur Blazich, Sr., Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor Emeritus of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University, passed away suddenly on Monday, December 16, 2013. Frank was a long time faculty member in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University and member of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Frank lived a rich life combining his love of horticulture with family and many other interests.
Frank began his career with his Associates Degree in 1969 in Agronomy from Farmingdale State College (SUNY). He received his Bachelors of Science degree Magna Cum Laude and Masters of Science degree in plant and soil science from the University of Vermont in 1971 and 1973, respectively. In 1977, he completed his doctorate in horticulture from Pennsylvania State University and took a position as the resident scientist at the Virginia Truck and Ornamental Research Station at Virginia Beach, VA. Frank and his family moved to Raleigh in 1978 when he accepted the position as Assistant Professor of Horticulture at North Carolina State University (NCSU). In 1981, he was promoted to Associate Professor. The following year, he began volunteering at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences as a teacher before being appointed as Associate Curator of Education in 1986. He continued to volunteer with the museum for the remainder of his life.
During his career at NCSU, he taught courses in basic and advanced plant propagation while furthering his research to the benefit of North Carolina and the Southeast's nurserymen. Promoted to Professor in 1986, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor in 2006, he retired in 2012 and was named emeritus. He served on practically every departmental, college, graduate school, and university committee. He was the faculty advisor for the Iota Chapter of Pi Alpha Xi (Honor Society for Horticulture) and served as president and on the executive committee of Gamma Sigma Delta (Honor Society of Agriculture). He also held memberships in Phi Epsilon Phi (Honorary Botanical Fraternity), Phi Kappa Phi (National Academic Honor Society), Phi Theta Kappa (National Junior College Honor Society), and Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Society). His professional memberships included the American Horticultural Society, American Society for Horticultural Science (National and Southern Region), the International Plant Propagators' Society (Eastern Region), Southern Nursery Association, and Turfgrass Council of North Carolina. With the American Society for Horticultural Science, he was the Science Editor for the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science from 1999 to 2002 and served on multiple committees. In 1998, he was named a Fellow of the Society. He advised over 33 graduate students, 12 of whom followed him into academia. During his career he authored or co-authored over 130 refereed journal articles, 21 book chapters, and approximately 400 popular and trade press articles, and even produced a U.S. Patent in 2000 for the lyophilizing of fungi.
His academic and scientific work received much regional and national recognition. In 1990, he received the Porter Henegar Memorial Award for Horticultural Research from the Southern Nursery Association. In 1992, he received the Distinguished Achievement Award for Nursery Crops from the American Society for Horticultural Science. The American Association of Nurserymen presented him with the Norman J. Coleman Award for Outstanding Nursery Research in 1996. Phi Alpha Xi named him a national fellow in 2007, and the state of North Carolina named him to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2011. Also in 2011, the University of Vermont presented him with the Outstanding Alumni Award from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. In 2012, he received the Dr. H. Marc Cathey Award from the American Horticultural Society, and was awarded the Outstanding Researcher Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science. In 2012, Farmingdale State College presented him with the Centurion Award for his career achievements.
An accomplished scholar, he enjoyed his time away from the office. The Outer Banks became his home away from home, fishing from Currituck to the Core Banks, filling walls with citations for outstanding catches. He played soccer with his son, Frank Jr., coached and played intramural softball, bowled at Western Lanes with a faculty bowling league, read prolifically on military and American history, traveled across the East Coast with his wife, April Blazich, and found new adventures in the Florida Keys. History became a great hobby, and he constantly collected bits and pieces of Americana with his family. Side interests included gardening at home, metal detecting with his son, going to sporting events with his daughter, Joan, and constant fishing trips with his wife. He took great pride in watching his son and daughter earn doctorate degrees in history, music, and law and begin their careers in federal and state service.
