James Hunter and Thomas Burr, former and current director, respectively, of Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, were honored May 15 by Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) with honorary degrees in recognition of the strong relationship between the colleges and the experiment station since the 1970s.

Hunter, professor emeritus of plant pathology, came to Geneva as chairman of the plant pathology department in 1972 and served in that capacity until 1982. He was associate director from 1987 to 1990 and served as director for more than 13 years.

Burr, a professor of plant pathology, joined Cornell in 1977. He has served as chairman of the Department of Plant Pathology since 2001 and is the station director.

Tom Glover, visiting professor of entomology and the HWS liaison to the experiment station, noted that HWS has sent about 100 students to placements at the experiment station over the past several decades, and many HWS faculty have worked and continue to work with colleagues there.