A memorial service for renowned geneticist G. Ledyard Stebbins will be held on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 1 p.m. at the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center on the UC Davis campus. A reception will follow from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Davis, 27074 Patwin Road. Stebbins, considered the world's leading authority on plant evolution, died Jan. 19 of cancer. He was 94. Stebbins served on the UC Davis faculty from 1950 to 1973, when he retired, and continued his research and writing for another 20 years. In 1952, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. In 1972, he received the campus's Distinguished Teaching Award. In 1979, he was awarded the National Medal of Science, the country's highest award for scientific accomplishment. In 1980, the University of California regents named a UC natural reserve in his honor -- Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve. His ashes will be scattered there. The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the UC Davis Herbarium, Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve or Yolo Hospice. Stebbins' obituary can be found at