Mary Whetstone and the History of the MMS with Heather Erickson 

Presented at the 9/13/21 MMS meeting.
Learn about the beginnings of the Minnesota Mycological Society and our founder, Dr. Mary Whetstone. Dr. Mary Whetstone was a pioneer in medicine and paved the way for professional women in Minnesota, but her passion was mycology. When she first began learning about mushrooms, she was a novice looking for alternative sources of nutrition for women and children. She would spend the remainder of her life contributing to the field of mycology. The MMS and other mycologists continue to follow in those footsteps made over a century ago. Although Dr. Whetstone’s contributions to the Minnesota medical community and the body of mycological knowledge are vast, very little has ever been published about her.
Heather Erickson is the author of two MIPA Award-winning books, Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer and Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer. She Is also an SEO content writer for a web development company. Her favorite part of that job is the research she gets to do. Heather has been researching Dr. Whetstone and has received access to her letters to Dr. Charles. H. Peck, who named Amanita whetstoneae in her honor.
For more info on the MMS and how to join, visit our website at minnesotamycol....