Horticulture 201 courses are going to look different in coming semesters. David Reed, Ph.D., is retiring after 45 years in the classroom.

Before coming to Texas, Reed grew up in Southern Louisiana. He worked in the oil field before deciding to attend the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to major in agriculture. After the first day of his first college class, plant science, Reed knew he wanted to pursue a career in horticulture. He went to graduate school at Cornell and was hired to teach at Texas A&M shortly after. The Horticulture 201 professor at the time left, and Reed was asked to fill his position. 

“I would have done it for free,” Reed said. 

In the spring of 1979, Reed began teaching Horticulture 201 and taught it every semester since. About 13,500 students took the class over the past 45 years. This semester is his last in the classroom. As Reed’s teaching years passed by, he said his passion for horticulture never declined. 

“Some people like animals, some people like reading, some people like building things, some people just like plants,” Reed said. 

Reed engages with the students and involves them in visual demonstrations. He often asks the class if any of them have fruits or vegetables and uses them to understand the structure of the food. 

“His teaching style is really engaging and entertaining,” journalism sophomore Kennedy Long said. “I learn a lot from his class.” 

Reed was just as excited to begin this semester as his first semester in 1979, he said. His goal is to walk into the classroom and not let the students be able to tell if he’s had a bad day. However, after being in the classroom for over 40 years, Reed said it’s time for him and his wife to travel. 

“I’m at the point where I can walk away from it completely happy and completely satisfied,” Reed said.

The achievements of Reed’s former students are a testament to his commitment to their success. 

“I was a student in his very first Horticulture 201 class in the spring of 1979, and Reed was instrumental in shaping my future,” horticultural sciences professor Patricia Klein said. “I’m honored to say that I have known him since his first semester at Texas A&M.” 

The graduate students in the horticulture department can see Reed’s passion for teaching and helping his students discover their own passions, horticulture graduate Hikari Skabelund said.

“The next instructor has some large shoes to fill, Texas-size,” Skabelund said. “I will definitely miss Dr. Reed, but I’m excited for his new upcoming adventures and am looking forward to hearing all about them in the future.”

Reed doesn’t have any specific goals for his last semester teaching. He said he just wants to enjoy this one just as much as the last. 

“This is the best job in the world,” Reed said. “It takes a lot of work to get here, but once you’re here, it’s the best job ever.”