Richard Keith Downey, (born January 26, 1927) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

agricultural scientist and, as one of the originators of

canola Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, ...

, became known as the "Father of Canola". Born in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, In 1951 he received a B.S.A. and in 1952 an M.Sc. from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

. He received his Ph.D. from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1961. In 1951 he started working for

Agriculture Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; french: Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada)''Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Agriculture ...

, becoming in 1993 a Senior Research Scientist Emeritus. In 1993, he started his own firm and is president of Canoglobe Consulting Inc. He worked with Baldur Stefansson to develop a variety of

rapeseed Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...

that could be used as an edible oil. This is known as canola and is one of Canada’s top edible oils and one of the largest oilseed crops in the world. He is the breeder and co-breeder of 13 rapeseed/canola varieties and five condiment mustard varieties. In 1998, "Downey Street" at a research and development park in Saskatoon was named in his honour.

Honours

* 1963 Bond Gold Medal, American Oil Chemists’ Society * 1968 Public Service Merit Award, Government of Canada * 1971 Honorary Life Membership Canadian Seed Growers’ Association * 1973 Grindley Medal, Agriculture Institute of Canada * 1975 Honorary Life Membership

Rapeseed Growers’ Association * 1975 Royal Bank Award, Royal Bank * 1976 Officer,

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

* 1976 Fellow, Agriculture Institute of Canada * 1977

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

* 1979 Fellow

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

* 1982 Century Saskatoon Award, City of Saskatoon * 1986 Distinguished Graduate Award, University of Saskatchewan, College of Agriculture * 1990 Gold Medal, co-recipient, Professional Institute of Canada * 1992

125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (french: Médaille commémorative du 125e anniversaire de la Confédération du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 125th anniversary of ...

* 1994 Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Saskatchewan * 1994 Clark-Newman Award, Canadian Seed Growers Association * 1995 J. Mcansh Award, Canola Council of Canada * 1995 Eminent Scientist Award / Groupe Consultatif International de Recherche sur le Colza * 1995 Médaille Chevreul / Association Francaise pour l’Etude des Corps Gras, France * 1996 Hall of Fame, Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame * 1997 Honorary Doctorate of Law

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = '' Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Weas ...

* 1997 Recognition Award, Canadian Seed Trade Association * 2000 Honorary Life Membership Saskatchewan Agriculture Graduates Association * 2002

Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame The Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame (French: Temple canadien de la renommée agricole) honours and celebrate Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to the agriculture and food industry and publicizes the importance of their achieveme ...

* 2002

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

* 2016

Saskatchewan Order of Merit The Saskatchewan Order of Merit (french: Ordre du Mérite de la Saskatchewan) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet u ...

* 2017 Canola Influencer Award, SaskCanola

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downey, Keith

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; french: Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada)''Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Agriculture ...

1927 births Living people Canadian biologists Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Members of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit Officers of the Order of Canada People from Saskatoon Canadian agronomists