Healdsburg, Calif.—John Dyson, the owner of Williams Selyem Winery, donated $500,000 toward the goal of $1.5 million to endow a chair position in the University of California, Davis Department of Plant Pathology. When fully funded, the chair will be the director of Foundation Plant Sciences and serve on the college faculty.

FPS was established in 1958 to distribute virus-tested, professionally identified grape, fruit and nut tree propagation stock. The department has been headed by Director Deborah Golino for the past 22 years. “I am giving this gift to honor the deanship of my friend Helene Dillard and to recognize Deborah Golino, who has taken on a challenging position and has instituted rigorous science to give wineries clean vines. I have a great deal of respect for her work,” Dyson said in the statement announcing his donation.

A New York native, Dyson worked with Dean Dillard while she was director of cooperative extension and on the faculty at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His relationship with Foundation Plant Services dates back to 1982 when he purchased cuttings for “a nickel a piece” to plant his first vineyards.

“This is an incredible investment in our program,” said Golino. “An endowed chair will ensure UC Davis will always be able to recruit a top scientist to lead FPS and continue to provide exceptional plant materials to the grape, rose, strawberry and other industries who rely on us.”

Golino’s Protocol 2010 research is setting the future national standard for grapevine foundation material in the United States at a rigorous new level to ensure the freedom of grapevine foundation material from exotic and harmful viruses.

Williams Selyem is working with FPS and the Department of Plant Pathology in planting its own nursery increase block in the Vista Verde Vineyard in the Central Coast next spring. Eventually the plantings will fill almost six acres at the estate and will include up to 32 clones of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Merlot from Davis’ Protocol 10 project.