Byrd C. Curtis, director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program from 1982 to 1988. (Photo: CIMMYT)
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) sadly notes the passing of Byrd C. Curtis, former Director of the Global Wheat Program, on January 7. He was 95 years old and lived in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, with his wife Eloise Curtis.
From his studies at Oklahoma State University to retiring after a fruitful international career with Colorado State University, Cargill Inc. and CIMMYT, he never got weary of sharing his passion for breeding better, tastier and sturdier wheat to improve peoples’ livelihoods.
He was an innovator at heart and his legacy will live on through Colorado State University’s wheat breeding program and the many wheat varieties he developed. Not only did he start Colorado State University’s wheat breeding program in 1963, but he also ensured that the varieties that were bred by his team reflected the needs of humanity for decades to come, suc