Gerald E. Edwards

Gerry was born on a rural farm near Mt Airy, Virginia to Tommie George Edwards and Ruth June Inge. Gerald grew up in an idyllic yet humble setting with an older brother and two younger sisters. Well-liked by his friends and family – Gerry was voted most popular of the 1960 class of Renan High School, captaining the basketball team, serving as his class president, State Beta President, and also Vice President of the Virginia’s FFA chapter. He loved being busy, working outdoors, fixing things on the farm, playing sports, joining all kinds of clubs, and listening to people’s stories.

Gerald followed in his brother’s footsteps to attend Lynchburg College, and transferred to Virginia Tech in ‘62. His academic gifts were mentored and he pursued a Masters at the University of Illinois  and PhD studies at UC Riverside where he did research on photosynthetic bacteria.

In Riverside, Gerry also met the love of his life – Sandra Gee.  In 1969 Gerry was appointed a post doctorate position at University of Georgia. Sandy, ever the pragmatist, said “If you want me to join you, we’re getting married.” Together they formed a devoted partnership rooted in service to family, work, and community.

In 1971 Gerry achieved his dream receiving a faculty position in Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and then earned a Faculty Chair position in Botany at Washington State University in Pullman, WA. There he built a highly successful and internationally recognized research program and was given a Distinguished Faculty Address in special recognition of his achievements in research scholarship and teaching. He was the recipient of five fellowships, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, Royal Society Fellowship (London) and Fulbright Fellowship and garnered more than $6 million in extramural grant support. He retired in 2013.

In the words of his colleague Larry Schrader Gerry’s “internationally-recognized research accomplishments not only placed him in the front ranks of his discipline, but also changed the world’s understanding of photosynthesis.” Gerry also changed the lives and careers of many younger scientists throughout his outstanding mentoring.  

Another colleague Asaph Cousins shared: “Gerry was a gentle and kind colleague and friend who always had time to listen to you. He was also a dedicated and diligent scientist and educator mentoring many students and postdocs while generating over 392 publications with more than 30,000 citations.  Gerry was a giant in the photosynthesis and plant science community as outlined in this society write-up.”

His professional relationships were very special to him and he retained friendships around the world with scientists from Russia, Japan, Argentina, Spain, the UK, Australia, Mexico, Germany and more. Though his work allowed him to travel extensively for research and conferences around the world he always treasured most his visits to Virginia to see his family and make repairs on the old farmhouse.

Though wildly accomplished in his professional endeavors, Gerald was gentle and humble, always retaining his authenticity and prioritizing kindness, generosity and hard work above all else.  He was the least judgmental, the best listener, respectful of other’s views and experiences, seeing value in all he met.

His level of conservation unparalleled, it was not uncommon to see him dumpster diving for things to fix, eating a left over bag of popcorn picked up from a chair in the movie theater, or walking around the neighborhood foraging blackberries and plums.

In 2012 Gerry and Sandy moved to Beaverton, Oregon to be closer to his children and grandchildren. He served his new church - Westside United Methodist - through the finance committee and performing building maintenance. He was extremely active at 24 hour fitness, attending classes, sitting in the sauna every day, and making friends wherever he went. After Sandy passed in 2017 Gerry began spending more time in Leadville, Colorado with his daughter.  Gerry quickly became “Lead-famous” - voted “best volunteer” by the community in the 2022 Best Of Issue of the Herald Democrat for his almost-daily service to the Saint George Food Pantry.  

When his health challenges began, Gerry and his family were delighted to find a new home at Canfield where he was surrounded by great food, friendly faces and kind support.

Gerald passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his sister Junetta, his son Chris (Sarah Petke), his daughter Sara Edwards, his grandchildren Riley, Paz, Jack and Eva as well as many nieces and nephews, and beloved friends and colleagues.

There will be a memorial service Saturday, August 2nd at 1pm at the Westside United Methodist Church, 13420 SW Butner Rd, Beaverton, OR 97005.

In lieu of flowers, the family would invite contributions to the new Gerald E. Edwards School of Biological Sciences Excellence Endowment at Washington State University. Those wishing to donate should contact jnsmith@wsu.edu to make a contribution.