In memoriam

ASA and SSSA Fellow, Dr. V. Allan Bandel, Professor and former Extension Soils Specialist for the University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension Service, died 2 Nov. 2019.

Born 8 May 1937 in Baltimore, MD, Dr. Bandel attended the University of Maryland, College Park, (UMCP), earning a bachelor's degree in Agronomy (Soils) in 1959, a master's in Soil Fertility and Plant Physiology in 1962, and a Ph.D. in Soil Fertility and Plant Physiology in 1965. After graduating, he accepted a full-time position overseeing the Soil Testing Lab for the Cooperative Extension Service. He remained at the university his entire professional career.

Dr. Bandel's work focused on research and extension in soil fertility with emphasis on nutrient management. He directed the University of Maryland Soil Testing, Plant Analysis, and Manure Analysis Programs and collaborated with other educational institutions and industry and conducted extensive educational outreach to farmers. He distinguished himself as an authority and early proponent of no-till, a major focus of his work being encouraging Maryland farmers to adopt no-till; as of 2014, Maryland was second only to Kentucky in total no-till cropland acreage.

He was a prolific writer, serving as author or co-author of more than 120 technical and popular-style papers, fact sheets, and other articles, and authored more than 200 monthly news articles on topics pertaining to soils, lime, and fertilizers. He was active in multiple professional associations including ASA and SSSA. Among the numerous accolades he received throughout his career, in addition to being named Fellow of ASA and SSSA, were the following: ASA's Outstanding Senior in Agronomy Award; SSSA's Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence of Presentation of Scientific Paper; an Extension-Industry Award in Agronomy from the Northeastern Branch of ASA (NE-ASA); NE-ASA's Career Service Award in Agronomy; and being elected President of NE-ASA, 1990–1991. More recently, in 2016, as a member of the Howard District Soil Conservation Service, he was awarded a Governor's Citation from Larry Hogan, Jr., Governor of Maryland for his work to advance farming while also striving to protect the environment.

He earned Professor Emeritus status upon his retirement in 1992 after 30 of service to the university. He continued to contribute articles to trade, research, and local farming publications and served on the boards of the Howard County Farm Bureau and the Howard County Soil Conservation District.

ASA and SSSA Fellow Hayden Ferguson passed away peacefully in his sleep 8 Oct. 2019 at home with his beloved wife, Marlene, by his side. He was born on 12 Sept. 1928 south of Big Timber, MT.

He attended Montana State College where he studied in the newly formed Soils Department. He met Marlene Anderson in college, and after his graduation, they were married in 1950 Great Falls, MT. They moved to Miles City, MT where Ferguson worked as a soil scientist for the Bureau of Reclamation. He was drafted into the Army in 1951, and he and his wife moved to Edgewood, MD, where he was a scientist for the U.S. Army Atomic Energy Commission. After his honorable discharge, he went on to earn a master's degree and Ph.D. in Soil Physics from Washington State University.

Ferguson traveled internationally, working in Brazil, the USSR, and the Middle East to recommend improvements in agriculture production. But, his pioneering research on the correction of saline seep on the Hi-Line of Montana was perhaps his most satisfying professional work.

In addition to ASA and SSSA, he belonged to many professional and honor societies. He was selected by students as Outstanding Educator in Agriculture at Montana State University (MSU), and many of those students remained in contact with him.

After his retirement, he served as a moderator for the Montana Ag Live program on PBS. He was proud of the show's ability to deliver information to its viewers, and wherever he would travel, someone would inevitably recognize the voice!

He is survived by his wife, Marlene; daughter, Stacy; and son-in-law, Dave Cattrell. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother; son, Link; and son-in-law, Doug Lanphear.