b"Outstanding Breeder of theLast Century: Dr. Alejandro Violic 99-year-old Chilean scientist is a living legend in plant genetics, and heres his story. Elena MansurSeed World LATAM Associate EditorAT THE AGE OF 99,Dr. Alejandro Violic is a prominent figure in the field of plant genetics, whose life and work have transpired in parallel to the evolution of this science over the last century. His sharp mind and physical vigor are astonishing, making him easily look 25 years younger. In his relentless pursuit of excellence, Violic's life has been marked by his dedication to the agricultural sector, especially in training younger generations of geneticists and agronomists in the art and science of plant breeding and production techniques.Alejandro's parents are Croatian immigrants who came to Chile around 1900 from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Croatia became a sovereign state in 1991). He was born on the same date as his father and paternal grandfather, the 14th of February, but in 1925. He spent his youth living in the southernmost tip of Chile (and of the world), in the city formerly known as Magallanes, now Punta Arenas. Here, he met his wife of now 74 years, Neva Goic, also the daughter of Croatians, and who, like Dr. Violic, is blessed with won-derful physical and mental health for her 98 years of age.Younger generations find it hard to imagine a world without the internet or mobile phones. But for Alejandro Violic, music came from phonographs, antibiotics did not exist to treat sicknesses, and he studied agronomy when the laws of Mendel had been re-discovered about 45 years earlier. He began his career when the field of plant breeding was taking its first steps. As technol-ogy advanced, Dr. Violic kept up with developments in his field, adapting to new methods and contribut-ing with his vast knowledge to the evolution of plant breeding, particularly in maize.Seed World LATAM recently had the great pleasure of meeting face-to-face with Alejandro Violic and his wife, Neva, to discuss his role and the impact he has had in agronomy and plant breeding. Above: Dr. Alejandro Violic, one of Chiles first plant breeders. SW LATAM: You started your career studying agron- Left: Cover of Alejandro Violics omy at the Catholic University of Chile in the 1940s.autobiography, written in 2018, when How did you decide to pursue this discipline? Tell ushe was 93 years old.PHOTOS: ELENA MANSURabout your academic history to become one of the first Chileans with a Ph.D. in plant genetics.Violic: When I was 18, I was eager to study medicine. I passed the exams to enter medical school at either the University of Chile 8/ SEEDWORLD.COMLATAM"