David Beard
b. August 1, 1912
d. February 9, 2009
David Beard, plant geneticist, died Monday February 9 in Adelphi, Maryland. He was born on the family farm in Portage, Ohio. He received bachelors and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University. In 1936, he married his high school sweetheart, Kathryn Gillian also of Portage. He taught in the Agronomy Department at OSU during World War 2, and accepted a position with the US Department of Agriculture in 1950 working at the Beltsville Research Farm in Maryland. As he developed expertise in bolstering forage crop yields, he was lured away from his government post by the Waterman-Loomis Company of Bakersfield, California. Dr. Beard was so instrumental to the success of Waterman-Loomis, that they established a Maryland branch of their company in Fulton, Maryland to accommodate him and his research on alfalfa. He retired in a gradual process during the 1980s and remained in Adelphi, Maryland.
David Beard is survived by his wife Kathryn Beard, his daughters Nancy Bell of Port Republic, Maryland, Joan Romig of Melbourne, Florida, his son Timothy Beard of Melbourne, Florida, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by three brothers and one sister.
Post-mortem arrangements have been handled by Upchurch Funeral Home of Cumberland, Maryland, and a memorial service will be held Saturday March 28, 2009 at the Adelphi Presbyterian Church.
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