Michigan State Corn Foundation Plaque honoring William Beal dedicated on June 6, 1953. (Beal Botanical Garden) “Michigan State College Corn Foundation William James Beal Pioneer Plant Scientists and Beloved Teacher, For the First Time Of Record Near This Spot in 1879 Crossed Varieties of Corn For the Purpose of Increasing Yields. A Student Of Agassiz and Gray, Dr. Beal Came To Michigan Agricultural College in 1870, Where He Served in Various Capacities For A Half – Century. Plantings in the Botanical Garden Bearing His Name Were Begun By Dr. Beal in 1873. From His Original Researches Has Come The Twentieth Century Miracle of Crop Production - Hybrid Corn.”
The Beal Botanical Garden has since sought to recognize the inaccuracy of the plaque by placing a sign next to the Corn Foundation plaque. The "A-Maizing Omissions" sign addresses how the plaque ignores the work by North American Indigenous people with a wild plant called teosinte and maize. Beal's experiments would not have been possible without their work.
