Jan. 15, 2004--Richard J. Hutton, 79, of West Grove, Pa., died Dec. 22 at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington.

A 1948 UD alumnus, Mr. Hutton at one time served as chairman of the board of Conard-Pyle Co., one of the top 25 production nurseries in the United States. Under his leadership, the company had more than 10,000 plant patents and developed innumerable roses, marketed under the Star Roses name. He often named roses to honor celebrities and political figures, such as singer/actress Dolly Parton and President John F. Kennedy.

In 1940, under Mr. Hutton’s father, the company introduced to the U.S. the world-famous Peace Rose from French hybridizer Francis Meilland. The rose’s name was adopted in the U.S. on the day Berlin fell to the Allies at the end of World War II. Peace roses were presented to all the delegates at the very first meeting of the United Nations.

Nicknamed “Mr. Rose,” he was inducted into the American Nursery and Landscape Association’s Nurserymen’s Hall of Fame. In 1985, Mr. Hutton was named Pennsylvania Nurseryman of the Year. He participated in President Ronald Reagan’s White House Conference on Small Business, served as a president of the All-American Rose Selections and was a member of the board of Roses Inc.

In 1999, Mr. Hutton donated the Conard-Pyle Archives to Special Collections in the University of Delaware Library. The records range in time from 1891 to 2000 and tell the story of the evolution of American horticulture. Included are nursery catalogs and brochures, publications about roses, horticultural journals, inventories, sales records and financial statements, advertising, memoranda, photographs and memorabilia.

In 2001, Mr. Hutton was inducted into UD’s Alumni Wall of Fame.

In a 1997 interview in the Messenger, Mr. Hutton reflected on his career and said, “I’ve had the opportunity to work with untold worlds full of wonderful people, and no matter what happens, every year I know that, come summer, I’ll be able to stop and smell the roses.”

Memorial donations may be made to the Help Fund, Chester County Community Foundation, 28 West Market St., West Chester, Pa. 19382.