In memoriam

Freddie R. Lamm

Dr. Freddie R. Lamm, an ASA and SSSA member for 43 years, died on 26 May 2022 in Overland Park, KS, surrounded by his loving family. He was born 11 Sept. 1955, in Boonville, MO.

Lamm was raised on a farm outside of Wooldridge, MO. He attended the University of Missouri where he earned both a B.S. and master’s in Agricultural Engineering. While working at the Kansas State University’s Colby Branch Experiment Station, he earned his doctoral degree in Agricultural Engineering and subsequently earned his Professional Engineer license.

Lamm was a compassionate person and not only believed but lived a life by Luke 12:48, “For unto whom much is given, much is expected.” This was shown by how he dedicated his efforts to helping others, such as by donating proceeds from his published works to farmers through his work at the College View Baptist Church, Colby After School Program, Thomas County Genesis Food Bank, and Jana’s Campaign.

Lamm worked 43 years at the Kansas State University Northwest Research Extension Center where he was always at the cutting edge of irrigation research and contributed to internationally recognized technologies. His contributions were recognized by being named Irrigation Association Man of the Year and Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

Lamm was preceded in death by his parents and sister Carol. He is survived by wife Donna; children Elaine, Henry Silas IV, Rachel (Chelston), and Sarah; siblings Sharon Whitley, Henry Silas III (Gail), and Greg; and nieces and nephews.

Leslie Denis Swindale

Dr. Leslie Denis Swindale, a Fellow of ASA and SSSA and a member of both for 55 years, passed away peacefully at the age of 94 on 25 Sept. 2022 at his home in Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii with his loving family by his side. He was born on 16 Mar. 1928 in Wellington, New Zealand. Swindale completed his graduate (1948) and master’s (1950) degrees at Victoria University of Wellington before securing a doctoral degree as a Fulbright Scholar from the University of Wisconsin in 1955.

Swindale started his career as a physical chemist at the New Zealand Soil Bureau and held several notable positions which included Director of New Zealand Pottery and Ceramics Research Association (1960–1963), Professor and Chairman of the Department of Agronomy and Soil Science at the University of Hawaii (1963–1968), Chief of Soil Resources and Conservation with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy (1968–1970), Associate Director of Hawaii Agricultural Experimental Station, Waimanalo, Hawaii (1970–1976), and Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India (1977–1991). After retiring from ICRISAT, Swindale served as the Chairman of the Board of the International Irrigation Management Institute in Columbo, Sri Lanka. Later in life, he served as an adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and volunteered at the University of Hawaii’s Harold L. Lyon Arboretum in Manoa Valley, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Swindale was the author of several books on soil and agricultural sciences and was a contributor to the Freedom from Hunger Campaign and the Benchmark Soils Project sponsored by the USDA. In 1971, Swindale was recognized as an Outstanding Educator of America. Swindale was a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The President of India awarded him the third highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan, in 1991. In 1995, he was awarded a silver medal for his contributions to science and technology by the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Swindale is survived by his wife Delle; children Brian (Shari), Anne, David (Mary), and grandchildren Mike, Tom, Tim, and Cora (with a great-grandchild on the way). He is also survived by his brother Colin and many loving nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews, and great-grandnieces and nephews.