The BET Award of Excellence is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions by the personnel of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The research he has done in the areas of seed planting, plant growth regulators and supplemental lighting has helped the industry leap forward. Pemberton, a horticultural researcher with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Overton, has long been known locally for his research and educational programs. His research is primarily designed to improve the production and utilization of ornamental plants.
Ornamental plants are more than just a hobby in East Texas.
Bedding plant nurseries bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the East Texas economy. More praise came from Keith Hansen, Smith County Extension horticulturist. Pemberton is a native of Temple and the oldest of four children. He received his bachelor's of science degree at Texas Tech University in 1978 and his doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota in 1982. He and his wife, Indre, a plant pathologist, have two children, Alex and Diana.