2020 Fellows Award Winner, Dr. David Creech
Dr. David Creech 2020 Southern Region Fellow
Dr. David Creech,Stephen F. Austin State University professor emeritus of agriculture and director of SFA Gardens, Nacogdoches, Texas, is recognized as the 2020 Southern Region Fellow.
Dr. Creech is a longtime member of IPPS-SR and served as president in 2017-18. In 2009 he was given the Sidney B. Meadows Award of Merit. He is dedicated to educating the next generation of horticulturalist and often brings a van full of students to the Southern Region conference.
David is currently the director of the Stephen F. Austin State University Garden, the 60-acre campus garden. He was instrumental in the development of the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, SFA’s Mast Arboretum and the Ruby and Gayla Mize Azalea Gardens, as well as Jimmy Hinds Park. He has spent more than 30 years promoting the use of native plants to his students, growers, and landscape professionals.
In addition to his focus on the growth and sustainability of SFA’s campus gardens, he also is invested in a number of research initiatives, including the evaluation of new woody ornamental plants for the landscape industry, viability of kiwifruit production in East Texas, and salt and hurricane-tolerant plant materials for the Gulf Coast.
David joined SFA as an assistant professor of horticulture in 1978. He received his bachelor's and doctoral degrees in horticulture from Texas A&M University and his master's degree from Colorado State University. His research efforts have focused on blueberry germplasm and production studies, alternative crops and technology, crop nutrition, and evaluation of new plant materials for the South. Along the way he has won numerous awards including the Honorary Membership Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association.
David has generously shared his work and knowledge with students, green industry professional from around the globe, and his fellow IPPS members.
The IPPS-SR Fellows award honors and recognizes outstanding individuals for their contributions to the nursery industry and to plant propagation in the Southern Region. This distinction serves as a forum for fellowship and potential information exchange among long-term IPPS members who may no longer directly participate on the Southern Region IPPS Board. At the discretion of the current board of directors, they are consulted for current and long-term programs to benefit the longevity of the society.