Charles Bessey, the founder of the Ada Hayden Herbarium, and his student J. C. Arthur added the earliest fungal specimens to the herbarium's holdings. L. H. Pammel and his students, including George W. Carver, continued to build the mycological collection. Irving E. Melhus was hired as Iowa State's first plant pathologist, and Joseph C. Gilman soon joined Melhus as a mycologist and plant pathologist. Lois H. Tiffany succeeded Drs. Melhus and Gilman as ISC’s mycologist. The prestigious University of Iowa Mycological Herbarium was transferred to ISC in 1984. This collection contains the specimens of George Martin, Thomas H. Macbride, and A. P. Morgan, and is rich in type specimens. Currently the mycological collection contains an estimated 56,000 packeted and boxed specimens.