Back to August 2019 Newsletter
Shirley Bellows
Tomato gardening enthusiasts from around the world are mourning the loss of Dr. Carolyn Male who passed away on June 26, 2019. Dr. Carolyn, as she was best known, was the author of 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden (1999) which is still considered the 'bible' for heirloom tomato growers.
It is reported that she grew and tasted up to 5,000 varieties of tomatoes and she generously shared many rare varieties with the gardening world. She was of the opinion that heirloom varieties tasted better than hybrids and that the hybrids might not be more disease tolerant than the open-pollinated varieties. In her honour, Steve Draper named an ivory-coloured cherry tomato Dr. Carolyn, and the variety Green Doctors was named for her and Dr. Amy Goldman.
She was a retired professor of microbiology from College of Saint Rose, Albany, New York. She was also a founding member of www.tomatoville.com and remained a moderator until shortly before her death. Members of this on-line group enjoyed interacting with her and receiving the benefit of her decades of experience growing tomatoes.
Dr. Carolyn will be missed but growing the many heirloom varieties that she recommended is the best memorial tomato gardeners can give her.
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https://www.gariepyfuneralhomes.com/notices/Carolyn-Male
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