A memorial service was held for Dr. Mack C. Fuqua, 81, of Reklaw, Texas at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, 2003 at Crawford-A.Crim Funeral Home Chapel in Henderson.

A private graveside service and interment of his cremated remains were held in the Floydada Cemetery under the direction of Abilene Funeral Home, Fuqua-Cisneros Funeral Directors of Abilene.

He died Saturday, March 8, 2003 at his residence.

Dr. Fuqua was born in Hamilton then moved his family to Floydada where he graduated from high school. During World War II, Dr. Fuqua served as an Air Force mechanic stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. After the war he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from West Texas State. He went on to graduate from Texas Tech University with a Master of Science and then received his Doctor of Philosophy from Texas A&M University.

His research station tenure included Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Lubbock, Overton and the Texas A&M Vegetable Research Center in Munday, with his focus on horticulture and genetics with a special emphasis on hybridization of various food crops including seedless watermelons, tomatoes, beans, grapes and others.

Dr. Fuqua was a pioneer in the development of the seedless watermelon and the design of the Texas A&M University Joy 1 tomato. He published in several scholarly journals in his field.

In 1981, Dr. Fuqua joined Texas A&M University's International Programs Division for a special project in Port au Prince, Haiti, working in conjunction with a research team from Texas A&M University and the United States Agency for International Development (AID) and the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture. He worked with their organizations to strengthen Haiti's capacity to conduct research in traditional Haitian crops and to develop a capacity to deliver the positive results of agricultural research to the Haitian peasants. He lived and worked in Haiti until 1986, returning to Texas and retirement.

Dr. Fuqua was preceded in death by his parents, McDonner and Hattie Fuqua; three brothers, Floyd F. Fuqua, Truman (Dimp) Fuqua and Van Fuqua; three sisters, Amelia Ashton, Grace Dunn and Dorothea Hunter.

Survivors include a daughter, Dr. Joy Van Fuqua of New Orleans, Louisiana; three sisters, Armalee Fuqua Scott of Houston, Sharon Fuqua Fowler of Davenport, Iowa and Estelle Fuqua Scheibel of Dallas; and numerous nieces and nephews.
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Note on cemetery information from Find A Grave contributor Rajordan: "Cemetery has no record and no grave marker as of July 2011."