This paper is a review of and a commentary on the published addresses of WSSA presidents from the founding of the Society through 2000. The paper's assumptions are that the presidential remarks will reveal what the Society has emphasized, what its major concerns and goals have been, and how the presidents have addressed what they considered to be important issues. Seven issues have been addressed by many presidents. These include the importance of agricultural production and profit, the necessity of herbicides, weed science and the environment, the regulation of herbicides, the need for education, comparison of weed science and other plant protection disciplines, and the problem of herbicide resistance.
