Donald M. Schwartz Jr., longtime extension agent for agriculture science in Washington County, has been posthumously promoted to the rank of Principal Agent in Maryland Cooperative Extension, in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland.
University President C. Daniel Mote said the honor "is a tribute to the contributions he has made to the advancement of knowledge and the service he provided to the agriculture community, the University and the State."
Schwartz, who died in January 2005 at age 53 after an extended illness, earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Maryland. A native of Frederick, Md., and resident of Keedysville, he had served as Washington County's agriculture science extension agent since 1985.
The rank of Principal Agent is similar to that of a full professorship at the university, said Mary Ellen Waltemire, West Regional director for Maryland Cooperative Extension.