Wilson Popenoe

Frederick Wilson Popenoe (March 9, 1892 – June 20, 1975) son of Marion Bowman Popenoe and Fred Oliver Popenoe and brother of Paul Popenoe, was a graduate of Pomona College and a United States Department of Agriculture employee and plant explorer. From 1916 to 1924 Popenoe explored Latin America to look for new strains of avocados. He reported his adventures to the National Geographic Society. He went to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1913 and became the chief agronomist of the United Fruit Company in 1925.[1][2]

While working for the United Fruit Company, he became the first director of the Panamerican Agricultural School, Zamorano in Honduras. Popenoe won numerous awards an received three honorary doctorates, from: Universidad Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru; Pomona College; and the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.[3][4]

He was married to the British archeologist Dorothy Popenoe, who was involved in excavation of the Playa de los Muertos in Honduras. The standard author abbreviation Popenoe is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[5]