"In the death of George Francis Atkinson, American botany has suffered an incalculable loss." This first line of his 1919 obituary in the journal Science identifies G.F. Atkinson as an important turn-of-the-century scientist. Atkinson graduated from Cornell in 1885
and returned to his alma mater in 1892 as assistant professor of botany. By 1896 he was head of the prestigious department. Professor Atkinson's career resulted in the publication of several text books and over 150 papers revealing an unusually wide range of interests. His focus on plant pathology and mycology (mushrooms) is evinced in this gallery of quirky photos of fleshy fungi. Atkinson died in 1918 of influenza and pneumonia, contracted while on a trip to collect fungal
flora near Mt. Ranier, Washington.