Alvin J. Braun was Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva, New York. Professor Braun began his career at Cornell in 1945 and retired in 1977. He studied diverse fungal and bacterial diseases of grapes and other small fruits and how to control them. Most of his work at the Station was of an applied nature. He was responsible for developing up-to-date disease control spray schedules that could be used by New York grape and berry growers. He worked closely with scientists in what was then the Department of Pomology at Geneva on developing disease-resistant varieties of grapes and small fruits. Professor Braun died in 1999.