that Ron didn't care what things looked Hke, that we 

 were not some well-funded, effete research institute, 

 but rather people who got by and could be trusted. On 

 the other hand, whether these crates would start reli- 

 ably or keep chugging through sparsely populated parts 

 of the state was another issue. Some days, I think 

 Ron's powerful will to understand the orchard ecosys- 

 tem was the only thing that kept those cars going. 



Ron used time much the way he used research 

 dollars, squeezing the minutes. When he drove one of 

 the old heaps himself, he wasn't content to just think or 

 listen to the radio. He had to read, review and, some 

 say, even write papers while navigating the notonously 

 narrow, rock- and tree-lined roads between New En- 

 gland orchards. His approach to driving pretty much 

 insured that if someone else was joining him, they vol- 

 unteered to get behind the wheel. Ron could then re- 

 treat to the back seat to fully devote attention to his 

 papers without the distraction of an on-coming cement 



truck. For longer trips, every plane ride, every hotel 

 room served as an office and study for the constant, 

 nearly undecipherable pencil scribbling on page after 

 page of yellow lined paper. That single-minded atten- 

 tion to filling in what might otherwise be downtime with 

 writing undoubtedly helped Ron's publication record. 



Technology didn't. Ron never allowed computers 

 to make his writing and research more efficient. He 

 tried a laptop computer once, thinking it might save ev- 

 erybody time if they didn't have to download his email, 

 then read and type his responses, not to mention typing 

 up the pages of pencil scrawled manuscripts. And with 

 a laptop, Ron could still write as he traveled, or when 

 he sat in an orchard. It was a good theory, but Ron's 

 mind never adapted to the keys and electronic screen. 

 Within a few weeks, his son Josh had inherited the un- 

 used computer for his own use. Ron stayed with the 

 yellow lined paper. 



Naturally, rather than a PDA, Ron had a unique 



Fruit Notes, Volume 69, Spring, 2004 



