Nearly 200 people, many of them alumni from the late 1960s and the 1970s, gathered on March 21 to celebrate the dedication of the newly renovated Howard C. Brown Horticultural Greenhouse Complex, paying tribute to the former college leader whose mentorship many give credit for their love of horticulture.

The enhanced 18,000-square-foot ornamental horticulture facility, initially opened in 1969, is named in honor of Dean Emeritus Howard Brown (Ornamental Horticulture, ’43). Brown served at Cal Poly for more than 40 years, growing the ornamental horticulture program exponentially.