Rulon S. Albrechtsen, Professor of Plant Science at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, retired at the end of April 2000 after more than 30 years with Utah State University and more than 36 years total academic plant-breeding service.

Rulon was born in the living room of his childhood home in Emery, Utah and grew up on the family farm. He was influenced in his career by a high school vocational agriculture teacher and by many of his professors at the Utah State Agricultural College where he graduated with a BS in agronomy in 1956, followed by a Masters degree in plant breeding in 1957. He went to work with the USDA in Logan in the safflower breeding program, and it was then that he met Karma Hooper who, in 1959, became his wife. They have been married now for over 40 years and have raised six children and have 14, going on 16, grandchildren.

Rulon completed his PhD from Purdue University in genetics and plant breeding in 1965. He accepted an assistant professor position as the flax breeder at South Dakota State University and became associate professor in 1966. At SDSU, Rulon released one flax and two oat cultivars. In 1969, Rulon moved to Utah State University in Logan, as professor of plant science, to head up the spring barley and spring wheat breeding programs. Over his tenure at USU, he has improved germ plasm and released superior cultivars as well as mentoring junior faculty and graduate students and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses.

In addition to the material released from SDSU, Rulon has been author or coauthor on over 100 publications and has released four spring wheat varieties and eight spring barley varieties and has coöperated in the release of five winter wheat varieties. These have included Rick, Promontory, and USU Apogee wheats and Century, Statehood, Brigham, and Millennium barleys.

Rulon is an accomplished woodworker and plans to spend more time with his growing family as well as enjoying gardening. His contributions as a geneticist, plant breeder, teacher, and colleague have been, and continue to be, greatly appreciated.

Summit Flax 1965	Coöperative:
Ortley Oats 1963	Promontory Winter Wheat 1991
Kota Oats 1969	Garland Winter Wheat 1993
Powell Spring Wheat 1979	Utah-100 Winter Wheat 1996
Wynn Spring Wheat 1982	USU Apogee Space Wheat 1997
Rick Spring Wheat 1988	Golden Spike Winter Wheat 2000
Sylvan Spring Wheat 1994
Deawn Spring Barley 1973
Bracken Spring Barley 1980
Rollo Spring Barley 1991
Walker Spring Barley 1991
Century Spring Barley 1996
Statehood Spring Barley 1996
Brigham Spring Barley 1998
Millenium Spring Barley 2000