Dr. Stanley K. Ries Ph.D.

East Lansing

Stanley K. Ries, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University for more than 40 years, died January 21, 2012 in East Lansing at the age of 84, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary Kinsel Ries. Dr. Ries’s long career in laboratory and field research was dedicated to increasing crop yields and investigating the mode of action and application of plant growth regulators. In addition to his numerous contributions in agricultural research he was a popular and enthusiastic teacher at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Dr. Ries was born in Kenton, Ohio, in 1927 and grew up in Plainwell, Michigan where he worked on his father’s muck farm at Gun Lake. After a short stint in the Army Air Force, he earned his B. S. at MSU in 1950, and an M.S. in 1951 and Ph.D. in 1954 from Cornell University, after which he joined MSU as a member of the faculty. One of Dr. Ries’s first projects was leading the effort to educate Michigan growers on the use of chemical weed controls to increase crops yields. In the 1960s, in partnership with agricultural engineering professor B. A. Stout, he also pioneered the mechanical harvesting of pickling cucumbers and tomatoes, developing designs that are still in use today. In order to further increase the harvesting yield of vegetables and grains, he pursued research in ways to identify plant growth regulators and to increase plant vigor. Among other agents, Dr. Ries discovered the growth-regulating properties of Triacontanol, which occurs naturally in many plants and is now used on millions of acres of crops across the world.

Dr. Ries traveled to Switzerland, Israel, Australia, and the People’s Republic of China as a visiting professor to educate others on his research. He also worked with the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations’ research programs in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Turkey to improve agricultural production. Holder of several patents and the author of more than one hundred scientific articles, Dr. Ries advised fifty-five graduate and post-doctoral students who today work in education and business across the country and overseas.

An avid hunter and fisher, an amateur woodworker, and a lifelong Democrat, Dr. Ries also enjoyed gardening with Mary, making their home a featured site of the Greater Lansing Garden Club tour. Dr. and Mrs. Ries have endowed the Ries Foundation to support MSU Horticulture. In addition to his wife, Dr. Ries is survived by his children Carol Byerly (Rad) of Boulder, Colorado, Don Ries (Karen) of Dewitt, and Kathy Brandenburg (John), of East Lansing, and four grandchildren, Adam Ries of Portland, Oregon, Eva Brandenburg of New York City, Jessica Ries of Dewitt, and Jori Brandenburg of Ann Arbor.

A celebration of Dr. Ries’s life will be held on Saturday, January 28th, 12 noon to 2pm at the MSU University Club. Contributions in his honor can be made to the Ries Foundation of Michigan State University. The family would also like to recognize the compassionate care provided Dr. and Mrs. Ries by the Burcham Hills Retirement Center and Heartland Hospice.

On-line condolences may be made at www.greastlansing.com

Arrangements under the direction of Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home, East Lansing, MI.