Hepler, Paul R. (Paul Raymond), 1925-

Paul Hepler was born in Dover, New Hampshire, on November 27, 1925. He grew up in Durham, New Hampshire, and graduated from Dover High School in 1944. He received a degree in horticulture in 1948 from Michigan State University, and master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois. He became a member of the Horticulture Department at the University of Maine at Orono in 1956. His areas of research included the breeding of vegetables and blueberries and crop productivity and quality as related to soil conservation. From 1965 to 1970 he worked on a study of sugar beet varieties in Maine, conducting trials in Presque Isle to determine the best variety for Maine's acidic soil. A report issued in 1971 summarized the results of the trials and discussed the problems encountered, including the short growing season and the highly acid soil found in the state. Professor Hepler retired from the university in 1990 and died on June 8, 2003 at his home in Bangor, Maine.