Banadyga, Albert Alexander

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Albert Alexander Banadyga (1921 - 2000) spent most of his childhood on a vegetable farm in Burgaw, N.C. Bandagaya received bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture from North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (now North Carolina State University) in 1942 and 1949, respectively. He later received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

Banadyga began his professional career at State College in 1949 as the manager of the N.C. State College Experiment Station's vegetable test farm near Faison, N.C. In 1953, he became an extension horticultural specialist, placed in charge of the college's horticultural work. In 1975, Banadyga received the Bittner Extension Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). The organization named him as a Fellow in 1978.

Banadyga served as a unit commander of the 6th armored division during World War II, earning a Purple Heart and two Battle Stars.