Tom Rhodes, manager of the MTDF and MRC, retires.

Tom Rhodes retired as the Manager of Penn State's Mushroom Test Demonstration Facility (MTDF) and the Mushroom Research Center (MRC) in March. He spent 35 years working with the mushroom program at Penn State.

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Rhodes helped with the construction of the MTDF and then spent his first 23 years of employment as an equipment repairman/mushroom grower. During the last 12 years, he was manager of both facilities. Always the first one at work every day, he worked countless hours to ensure that cropping and research went smoothly. He was instrumental in designing and constructing the addition of the Phase I bunkers and Phase II tunnel at the MTDF.

Rhodes was a master of many different skills. He could mechanically repair any piece of equipment on a farm. He was astute working with environmental control systems and could carefully manage a limited budget. He understood the biology of the crop. His attention to detail was greatly appreciated, and he was always attentive to research needs. In addition, he taught many students and researchers different aspects of growing along the way. Rhodes is a unique individual and his work ethic, experience and ingenuity will be greatly missed. Penn State faculty, current and former students as well as the many mushroom growers who worked with him, wish him the best in his retirement, although those who know him well say retirement is not in his vocabulary.