Paul Edward Waggoner

Paul Edward Waggoner, age 99, of Seattle, WA, died peacefully with elegance and ease on November 1, 2022, at Skyline Retirement Community, surrounded by family and friends. He was born March 29, 1923, in Appanoose County, Iowa, the son of Walter Loyal and Kathryn (Maring) Waggoner, and attended a one-room schoolhouse with his siblings. He married Barbara Lockerbie of Wauwatosa, WI in 1945. He served as a Weather Officer in the United States Air Corps from 1943 to 1946. The University of Chicago and Iowa State University granted him degrees, the latter a PhD in Plant Pathology and Climatology based on his thesis concerning the Irish Potato Famine.

Paul began his career in 1951 as a Scientist with The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, where he worked until his retirement as Director in 1987. His research spanned the dispersal of plant disease, the water relations of plants, and returning forests. Paul also composed the first computer simulation of plant diseases, EPIDEM, which served as the foundation for integrated pest management that reduces the usage of pesticides. His demonstration of the effect of leaf pores on evaporation helped anticipate the consequences of climate change. Recognizing his research, the National Academy of Science elected him a member, where he served on the Academy's first committee on climate change. He authored or co-authored more than 270 scientific publications, many of which can be found in the links below.

Paul’s many awards include a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and The Anton de Bary Medal by the Deutsche Phytomedizinishce Gesellschaft. The American Society of Agronomy, the American Meteorological Society, the American Phytopathological Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science all designated him a fellow. When the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, which they shared with former Vice President Al Gore, they named Paul a "substantial contributor" to this prize for his work on mitigating climate change.

In 2013, The Connecticut Agricultural Station commemorated his service by naming a laboratory after him, the Waggoner-Jenkins Laboratory.

Paul was a former director of the Union Trust Bank (New Haven) and a member of the Graduates Club (New Haven). He attended the Congregational Church in Guilford and served on the Connecticut Governor’s pesticides, environmental policy, and farmland preservation committees.

After retirement, Paul continued his research and writing about land, energy, and material uses, including sparing land by productive farming and returning forests. He and Barbara became avid swappers of houses in Europe and bicyclists, regularly bicycling to the Stony Creek Market in Guilford, CT. Barbara later founded the Connecticut Coalition of Bicyclists.

In his later years, Paul moved to Seattle to be near his grandchildren and son, Dan. He attended Dan’s book club, rooted for the Seahawks, visited coffee shops, and enjoyed his friends at Skyline, where he was President of the Resident’s Association.

Paul was predeceased by his beloved wife of 67 years, Barbara Lockerbie Waggoner and his sister Margaret Ann last year. He is survived by his two sons, Von Waggoner and wife, Susan, of Peoria, IL, and Dan Waggoner of Seattle, WA and his partner Sharon McCarthy; five grandchildren (Katharine, Alex, Lucy, Jordan, Kristen); three great-grandchildren (John, Elizabeth, and Felix); sister Janet Zellers of Scottsdale, AZ and brother Wayne Waggoner of Billings, Montana.

Please visit these sites to read more: Paul E Waggoner (ct.gov) or Paul E. Waggoner - Google Scholar