B. Charles Jenkins

Jenkins, B. Charles
90, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona since 1992, died Saturday, March 5, 2011. He was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada in 1920 and was raised on a farm near Bon Accord, Alberta. He graduated from the Vermillion School of Agriculture and the University of Alberta before completing a PhD in Genetics in 1950, at the University of California, Davis. He was a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and then held the Rosner Chair in Agronomy at the University of Manitoba from 1954 -1966. He then moved to Salinas, California and into private industry to continue his research in cereal crop improvement. Charles was a pioneer in the development of the new grain, Triticale, which is a hybrid cross between durum wheat and rye. He retired in 1985. As a young boy, he was interested in gardening and growing many different varieties of vegetables and other plants. His professional life was spent in test plots of wheat and triticale, where his goal was to develop varieties that had higher yields, better protein content, disease resistance and ability to produce well on marginal lands without added water or fertilizer. This was his contribution to alleviating world hunger, which he saw firsthand as he traveled worldwide. Charles had a garden at every one of his homes where he grew many beautiful flowers and hybridized gladioli, dahlias, daffodils, popcorn and spuria iris. He registered 89 new named varieties of Spuria Iris with the American Iris Society and received the Hybridizer of the Year Award in 2009. He was preceded in death by his son, Rhett Jenkins in 1988, his parents, Jim and Edith Jenkins, four brothers and two sisters. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Doris Jenkins, his daughters, Wendie Jenkins of Phoenix, Arizona and April Parent of Fremont, California, and his son and daughter-in-law, Hilary and Susan Jenkins of Kingsville, Missouri. He also leaves three grandchildren, Krystyne Parent, Russell Jenkins (wife Tiffany) and Evan Jenkins; two great-grandchildren, Rhett and Piper Jenkins, one sister, Edith Kowalski, one brother-in-law and 4 sister-in-laws, plus numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at Community of Christ, 4224 N 44th St, Phoenix, 85018 at 10 am on Saturday, March 26, 2011. The family is suggesting that donations honoring Charles be sent in his name to Outreach International, an organization he supported since its inception over 30 years ago, at P.O. Box 210, Independence, MO 64051 or www.outreach-international.org