Ben Woo Died Today

[boomer2]

If these fotos do not post, I will come back this weekend and post the four images I put with this edited article.

Okay,

I am assuming that most of you probably have never heard of Ben Woo.

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I first met Ben, along with Daniel Stuntz, Joy Spur and Dixie Lee Ray (Ex-Governor of Washington) in 1976 at the university of Washington and the Puget Sound Mycological Society. Ben was a cordial friend who always treated me with kindness and he acknowledged my research and contributions in the field of Psilocybe as outstanding.

I last saw him at a display table last October at the annual Puget Sound Mycological Society Mushroom Fair at the Seattle U of W. Horticulture Center. Pictures of that even will appear in Shroom Talk Magazine Issue number 5.

Ben is a Chinese American who created the Puget Sound Mycological Society in 1964 with a few friends.

I would like to extend my condolences to his friends and family here at the Nook. For any of you members here in Seattle who are members of the PSMS, then you know to whom I am referring. It was Ben's Photos which graced the pages of both Bob Harris', "Growing Wild Mushrooms"

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and the two editions Of Homestead Book Companies, "Magikal Mushroom Handbook."

 Reduced: 94% of original size [ 542 x 829 ] - Click to view full image
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2nd Edition and smaller format with one photo by me of Conocybe cyanopus.

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QUOTE
The Ben Woo Scholarship:

Application Form

Grant Guidelines

The Puget Sound Mycological Society, a 501©(3) non- profit organization chartered in 1964, has established a small grant program in honor of its first president Benjamin Woo. Ben has personified our mission to foster the understanding of Mycology as a science and a hobby, and to assist related institutions in these purposes. As organization of volunteer amateur mycologists, the PSMS wishes to fund the projects of enthusiasts who need financial assistance to reach their goal related to the study of mycology.

* Grants will be awarded for small amounts up to $2000 each calendar year.
* Applications will be due July 1 and December 1.
* Grants will be allocated for projects, studies, equipment and educational events related to Mycology.
* Members of the Puget Sound Mycological Society and educators shall be given preference for the grants.
* Recipients may be requested to present a report or program about the project.

An application and guidelines may be downloaded below or contact Patrice Benson at: 206-722-0691 for application.
Application Form

Word Doc

Rich Text Format



About Ben Woo:

QUOTE
MEET BEN WOO Inga Wilcox (1997) PSMS Newsletter:

A founding member of PSMS, Ben Woo remembers the genesis of the society. In 1963 Dr. Dixie Lee Ray was Director of the Pacific Science Center. She wanted to build up public participation in the center by encouraging amateur science groups. She knew Dr. Daniel E. Stuntz, a noted mycologist at the University of Washington, who knew Ben Woo and others. In late the group sat down to talk about starting a society to study mushrooms. A notice in the paper brought in 85 interested persons, about two dozen of whom are still around. In 1964 the group formally incorporated, and Mr. Woo was elected its first president, serving till 1966. PSMS enjoyed guidance from the Oregon Mycological society, which had incorporated several years earlier. An annual exhibit, the survivor’s banquet, field trips, speakers at the monthly meetings, and a newsletter called Spore Prints became part of the format for the organization.

How did Ben Woo get interested in fungi in the first place? Life Magazine ran a feature article on fungi complete with drawings and photographs, along with the warning “Do not go mushrooming without the help of an expert.” Mr. Woo decided he could become his own expert and proceeded to learn from books. His interest still is mainly scientific, cookery on the side. He never took formal classes, although he was a long-time friend of Dr. Stuntz.

The genus Russula has been his object of study for 20â€"28 years. It is a challenge! There are many species, many incorrectly named or not named at all; mycologists stay away from the genus (it’s too time consuming). There are 200 species in the Northwest alone. (A Ph.D. candidate working on russulas, collecting for 3 years, found 85 species, only 50 of which had a name attached.)

Processing a collection of russulas takes time. Ben Woo needs to clean the specimens, measure and photograph them, write a description, do a spore print, smell and taste the fungi, and conduct a chemical test. Then the Russula can be dried to be reconstituted later for microscopic work, preparing tiny pieces of stem, cap, and gills and making drawings of the various parts. For about a year, Ben Woo has been working on improving his home computer to eliminate the tedious step of drawing microscopic slides. He wants to come up with a computer capable of photographing microscopic parts. (Bill G. watch out!) Besides russulas, Mr. Woo enjoys studying and photographing boletes, Lactarius, and Hygrophorus. It is a wonderful activity which keeps him healthy and interested, along with downhill skiing.

Currently, Mr. Woo is president of the Pacific Northwest Key Council and is the North American Mycological Society’s regional trustee for the Pacific Northwest. A retired architect with 30 years in the profession, he is serving, and has served, on many community-related boards: The Chinese Nursing Home Society (with a building recently completed); the Lighthouse for The Blind; the Chinatown Preservation and Development Authority; Facility and Construction for King County.

Thirty-three years after its inception, PSMS has many members. And Ben Woo is continuing his studies, still hoping that “people learn not to kick over russulas.”
All at PSMS are happy to have a Founding Father in our midst. Thank you, Ben.


Excerpted From the Seattle Times
QUOTE
"Uncle Ben" was leader among Asian Americans
By Amy Martinez
Seattle Times staff reporter
Ben Woo held many titles: Architect. King County construction chief. Mushroom expert.

Mr. Woo died Friday from heart failure after suffering a stroke in November. He was 84.

Mr. Woo, the son of a Chinese laundryman, was born June 15, 1923, in Seattle. Growing up, he was allowed "no dawdling after school" and was expected to head "directly home to work in the laundry," he told Chew for his 1995 book, "Reflections of Seattle's Chinese Americans: The First 100 Years."

Mr. Woo attended Queen Anne High School and went on to study meteorology at the University of Chicago. A weather forecaster for the Army Air Corps during World War II, Mr. Woo once told The Seattle Times that he was a "lousy forecaster â€" guessing wrong most of the time," so he pursued mechanical engineering at the UW and ultimately opened an architectural firm in Madison Park.

"Ben bridged the gap between the business community and the more progressive Asian-American community," Santos said. "I really give Ben a lot of credit for the preservation of the International District as the center of Asian culture in the Northwest."

Mr. Woo's numerous titles included director of King County's Construction and Facilities Management Department, president of the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and head of the Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority.
An original supporter of the Wing Luke Asian Museum, Mr. Woo also created the Puget Sound Mycological Society in 1964 with a small group of other mushroom enthusiasts, , including Dixie Lee Ray, then director of the Pacific Science Center. Ray later served one term as Washington governor.


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