Edwin Bingham

Edwin Bingham

November 04, 1936 - October 16, 2024

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Obituary

MADISON - Edwin Theodore Bingham, age 87, of Madison, passed away on Wednesday,

October 16, 2024. He was born on November 4, 1936, in Ogden, Utah, the son of Edwin O. and Maude (Wayment) Bingham and raised on a farm in Weber County that grew alfalfa and grain for livestock. Thus, he started with alfalfa and ended with alfalfa and inter specific hybrids of alfalfa and wild species.


Edwin received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Utah State University in 1959 and 1961 respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in Plant Breeding from Cornell University in 1964. Following his Ph.D., he completed a Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH Genetics Training Grant at the University of Minnesota from 1964-65.


Edwin was appointed to the Agronomy Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1965, was promoted to Professor in 1973, and received the Romnes Fellowship in 1976. He was awarded Emeritus Professor in 2004. His professional career centered around the breeding and genetics of alfalfa, and this continued into his retirement. Throughout his career he published 125 journal papers and book chapters. He was proud of all the M.S., Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Fellows that he had the privilege to work with.


Edwin was united in marriage to Nancy TeWinkel on August 8, 1992, in Madison. He was a kind and gentle man with a quick sense of humor. Edwin and Nancy loved to travel, loved to go to coffee shops, but most of all just loved to spend time together. In addition to alfalfa, Edwin was an avid tomato grower and turned his backyard into a mini agricultural research station. Ed also loved to attend seminars at UW-Madison after retirement and would always tell Nancy about what he learned.


Edwin is survived by his loving wife, Nancy; sister, Sheran (George) Hartog; daughters, Elizabeth and Suzanne; nieces, Brenda and Lisa; nephew, George (Dani) Hartog; sisters-in-law, Mary TeWinkel and Linda (Dick) Hughes; and many cousins, friends and colleagues. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin O. and Maude.


The family kindly requests that donations in memory of Dr. Edwin Bingham support the Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Contributions may be made at https://supportuw.org/giveto/pbpg or by clicking the "Donate Now" button below. After clicking the donation link, you will be prompted to "find your cause." Please type "Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics" and select your donation amount before proceeding to checkout. The second page will allow you to note that the donation is in memory of Dr. Edwin Bingham and whether you would like to remain anonymous.


A seminar and social event to celebrate Dr. Edwin Bingham's career and his immense impact on the program will be organized in spring 2025.

 

Online condolences may be made at www. gundersonfh.com.


Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420


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Edwin
MS
Mark Sorrells
Other •
I knew him as Ted before he started requesting we address him as Edwin. I learned a lot from him while I was a post doc in his lab. He was a great mentor who always expected high quality research. I model my Perspectives in Plant Breeding Strategies course after the cytogenetics class he and Stan Peloquin taught. His research on heterosis and polyploidy was ground breaking.
LH
Larry Hurley
Other •
I worked as a lab tech in Dr Bingham's tissue culture lab as my first full time job after graduating at the UW Madison in 1972. At that time, he went by "Ted" and his students and post doc called him "The Doc." I enjoyed working for him, and he always had time for my questions, or just to chat. My BS was in Zoology, and I hadn't given much thought to plants. But working with Dr. Bingham brought me around, and I wound up returning to UW to get a horticulture degree and spent the rest of my working life with plants. So, he had a great influence on my life, and I am always thankful for the couple of years I spent working for him.

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