Seeds of career planted in Greencastle for Walck
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

Jeff and Siti examining seeds in the seed science laboratory at Kings Park.

A love of seeds has been a defining character of a Greencastle native, influencing his personal and professional life for decades.

Jeffrey Walck, 41, is now in Perth, Australia, on a twoyear sabbatical from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro. He and his wife Siti are research fellows at the University of Western Australia, stationed at Kings Park and Botanic Garden. They are researching seed germiniation of rare species and species used in revegetation of mining areas.

The two met while earning doctorates at the University of Kentucky. He is an associate professor and she is a researcher in the Department of Biology at MTSU.

Australia is the latest step in a journey that began in childhood.With a passion for birds and nature and conservation since fifth grade, Walck established a mark in the botany world as a teenager. The son of Richard and the late Dorothy Walck, he made news with a discovery in Antrim Township.

"His education was paid for by a flower he found at the Greencastle Sportsman Club at age 14," said Richard. "It has a long scientific name but I know it as the pussyfoot ragwort."

Walck marked the location of his find and checked on the plant the following year when it flowered. He was then able to identify it as one not known previously to exist in Pennsylvania. A professor from Shippensburg State College verified it and the two wrote an article for a botany magazine. A Kentucky professor asked for seeds twice, and ultimately offered Walck a scholarship. He used it when he sought his PhD.

Walck has taught biology at MTSU for five years.

"He likes research more than teaching, mostly seeds," said his dad.

Indeed, he has written 30 articles for professional journals, including one with his wife in 'For People and Plants, Friends of Kings Park Quarterly Magazine'. They referenced their work on rare Tennessee plants, and the effect of climate change and light on germination. They also explained their goal of understanding the dormancy of hard-to-germinate seeds during their time in Australia.

The move to the land down under brought cultural changes, with the family experiencing opposite seasons. In a letter home, Walck wrote, "It seems odd seeing Christmas decorations in summer."

His son Edwin, six, has acquired an Australian accent. He is also following in his father's footsteps. Walck wrote that at an international seed ecology meeting Edwin enjoyed the presentations on wasp pollinating and orchids.

Walck graduated from Greencastle Antrim High School in 1985 and from Cornell University with a B.S. in biology. He has received a number of awards through the years, including the U.S. Congressional Gold Award at age 22 for his volunteer efforts as a naturalist and conservationist. He completed over 2500 hours of community service to qualify.