![Stanley G. Stephens, Professor of Genetics](/sites/default/files/0007392_0.jpg)
Fifty years ago Stanley George Stephens (1911-1986) became the first NC State faculty member to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Stephens came to the university in 1949 as a professor of agronomy. He then served as head of the genetics faculty from 1951 to 1957. His research focused on cotton and other field crops. He retired in 1974 as a professor emeritus after 25 years at the university. The NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Research Center holds a collection of Stephens's papers.