Dioscoro L Umali – The Father Of UP Los Baños Whom UPLB Forgot!

UP Los Baños is not holding any special event to honor Dioscoro L Umali today, Wednesday, 17 Nov (1917), his birthday. This alumnus knows that he contributed many and much more to the sciences & successes, roles & reputations of UPLB than any other individual or even group. Now I say that this neglect of giving unique honor to a uniquely honorable man is uniquely unscholarly and unkind.

I have just seen the Facebook post of the blog Archimedesheatray.blogspot.com that shares the blogpost titled “Group 5: Dioscoro Umali[1]” – and I say, “Wow!” Having been in and out of Los Baños since 1959 as Freshman for my BSA ’65, let me add that he was respectfully referred to as “Dean Umali” even when he became UP Vice President for UP Los Baños as well as founding Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca).

The blogpost is authored by 9 individuals, count them! Louise Sigrid Antonio, Jiorjohn Aurius Co, Simone Dimalibot, Jonathan De Guzman, Cara Isabela Ignacio, Therese Nicole Jueves, Julius Ceazar Ladublan, Jeanne Myrtia Macalalad, Anna Beatrice Mariñas, and Jonathan Trinidad. The authors’ list is alphabetical, hinting to me that the write-up was essentially add-on – nonetheless, those 3,103 words of theirs combined gives much honor to whom much honor is due!

Dean Umali was a product of UP Los Baños – UP Los Baños was a product of Dean Umali!

Those authors say:

This paper aims to describe the life of a Filipino scientist… who not only contributed a series of scientific discoveries locally, but expanded the universal language of science (in) an international scale. We strive to give him the respect and attention he deserves for his various discoveries, improvements, and establishments in the various fields of science.

He followed Leopoldo B Uichanco as UPCA Dean. “His time as Dean was referred to as The Umali Years (1959-1969)… known as the most prosperous years, ‘a period of expansion, innovation and long-range development planning.’”

Here is a partial listof whom Dean Umali became:
Architect of the autonomous UPLB
Father of Philippine Plant Breeding
Founder & 1^st President, Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines
Chair, Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
Chair, National Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Committee,
Father & Chair, Los Baños Rural Bank
Chair, Asian Non-Governmental Organization Coalition for Agrarian Reform & Rural Development.
Member, Governing Board, International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Member, Governing Board, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

Here are some of the awards he received:
1965: Outstanding Services in Food Production and Rural Reconstruction Movement, FAO Rome
1969: Distinguished Educator & Scholar Meritissimus, 1^st International Congress of Doctorates, Manila
1977: Pantas Award “for his contribution to the advancement of agricultural research in the country” from the Philippine Council for Agriculture & Resources Research
1990: Likas Yaman Award, Department of Environment and Natural Resources
1992: Outstanding Filipino Award, Philippine Jaycees Senate.

Asia’s Outstanding Leader cum Scientist In Agriculture – that was Dioscoro Lopez Umali!@517

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[1]http://archimedesheatray.blogspot.com/2014/05/group-5-dioscoro-umali.html