Wiidakas Laboratory was built in 1949 and was originally known as the Corn Seed House. The Seed House contained, in 1978, the only cold storage facility for seedstocks preservation among the facilities of the North Dakota Experiment Station. A large portion of the funding for the building's construction came from the sale of superior inbreds and hybrids corn seed sales. The corn seed was grown and created by corn breeders and NDSU (It's Happening at State, October 4, 1978, p. 7).
In 1978, the Corn Seed House was renamed Wiidakas Laboratory in honor of William Wiidakas, a long-time NDSU corn breeder. Professor Wiidakas was born on January 27, 1901 in Estonia. He came to the United States in the early 1920s to work on his uncle's farm near Dickinson, North Dakota. He then attended Dickinson State College before transferring to North Dakota Agricultural College. After graduating in 1932 from NDAC, Wiidakas became a field assistant in Agronomy, specifically the corn project. He earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Minnesota in 1940 and completed an additional thirty credits of graduate work towards his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Wiidakas did not complete his Ph.D. due to World War II and time constraints, but he did remain at NDSU and experienced a long and successful career.
During his tenure at NDSU, Wiidakas is credited with the creation and development of numerous hybrids of corn including: Nodakhybrid 203, Nodakhybrid 208, Nodakhybrid 201, Nodakhybrid 301 and Nodakhybrid 304. Wiidakas' hybrids, especially 301, were popular with the farmers in North Dakota and the surrounding areas because their short maturity dates were well suited to the short growing season in North Dakota.
Wiidakas retired from NDSU in 1971 after a tenure of 39 years. During his time with NDSU Wiidakas devoted his time to corn breeding serving as an Agronomist and as an Associate Professor. He died on November 7, 1980.
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University Archives, 701-231-8914 Published by the University Archives, NDSU Last Updated: 8/27/04 |