Lena B. Smithers Hughes facts for kids
Lena B. Smithers Hughes (1905–1987) was an amazing American scientist who studied plants. She helped create better types of Valencia oranges. These sweet oranges are mostly grown in the United States to make orange juice. Lena was the first woman to be honored in the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. She was also recognized in the Florida Women's Hall of Fame and the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame.
Contents
A Life Dedicated to Oranges
Early Life and Education
Lena B. Smithers was born on June 8, 1905, in Elgin, Tennessee. She went to college and earned degrees from the University of Tennessee and Wayne State University in Michigan. After finishing her studies, she worked as a teacher for a while.
Starting Citrus Research
In 1931, Lena and her husband, Ausker Hughes, moved to Lake County, Florida. Ausker was a chemist, and together they started working on citrus research. By 1935, they had 75 acres of land where they grew test orange trees. They worked together to develop new types of oranges. Many of these new types are the ancestors of the oranges we see today. They focused especially on new seedlings of Parson Brown and Valencia oranges.
Continuing the Work Alone
After her husband, Ausker, passed away in 1944, Lena Hughes continued the important research by herself. She later settled near Orlando in Orange County. Her research led to much better types of Valencia oranges. These new types were free of viruses. The original Valencia orange was first developed by an American farmer named William Wolfskill in the mid-1800s.
Lena's virus-free orange types were used to create "budwood." This is a special part of a plant used to grow new trees. Growers used her budwood with great success. By 1983, about 60 percent of all Valencia oranges grown in Florida came from her special "Hughes Valencia" line. Her work on Valencia oranges is considered "one of the most significant citrus developments" from Orange County. At that time, Orange County was a major orange-growing area in the country.
Breaking Barriers and Helping Others
Lena Hughes was also a pioneer for women in agriculture. She was the first woman to be a member of the Orange County Citrus Extension Advisory Committee. She served on this committee for ten years. She was also the first woman member of the Growers Administrative Committee.
In 1960, Lena used money from selling her Hughes Valencia budwood to start the Hughes Memorial Foundation. This foundation provided scholarships for students studying horticulture. These scholarships helped students at the University of Florida and Florida Southern College.
Recognition and Legacy
Lena Hughes received many important honors for her work. In 1984, she was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame. Then, in 1986, she became the first woman named to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Sadly, in 1984 and 1985, two very cold winters destroyed Lena's last 150 acres of orange trees. She decided not to replant them. She knew it would take ten years to make a profit again, and she felt she didn't have that much time left. Lena B. Smithers Hughes passed away on December 19, 1987. Five years later, she was also inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Her dedication helped shape Florida's citrus industry.
