In Memoriam
LeRoy A. Daugherty
LeRoy A. Daugherty, a 57‐year member of SSSA and ASA, passed away on May 25, 2023 at the age of 76. He was born in Scottsbluff County, Nebraska in 1946 and spent much of his early life on farms near Huntley, WY and Jamesport, MO. He was employed by the USDA Soil Conservation Service as a soil scientist in DeKalb County, Missouri and later worked as a soil mapper for Cornell University. Dr. Daugherty earned his degrees from the University of Missouri (B.S.) and Cornell University (M.S. and Ph.D.). His Ph.D. research was conducted in Venezuela on the mineralogy of plinthitic soils and applying soil taxonomy to tropical soils.
Daugherty was a professor of soil classification in the Crop and Soil Science Department at New Mexico State University (NMSU) from the mid‐1970s to mid‐1980s, Department Head until 1997, and then Associate Dean and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station at NMSU until his retirement in 2010.
As a professor at NMSU, his research focused on soil mineralogy, geomorphology, soil survey, land reclamation, and soil climate. He oversaw a soil characterization lab that supplied data to the Soil Conservation Service during the most active soil‐mapping period in New Mexico. His career included international research and consultations in Yemen, Mexico, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Swaziland, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, China, and Israel.
As an administrator, Daugherty oversaw the teaching curriculum and research projects on the main campus and nine agricultural science centers across New Mexico. He served as administrative adviser on several national and western multistate projects. Internationally, he served on the Board of Directors of the International Arid Lands Consortium.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Terry Ann Daugherty, and is survived by his brothers, children, grandchildren, colleagues, and many friends.
Norman J. Rosenberg
Norman J. Rosenberg, a 63‐year member of ASA, passed away on July 22, 2023 at the age of 93. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on Feb. 22, 1930. He studied journalism at Brooklyn College before transferring to Michigan State College where he earned a B.S. in Farm Mechanics and Soil Science. He married Sarah Zacher in 1950, and during 1952–1957, they lived in Israel where he worked in soil survey for the Israel Soil Conservation Service and in irrigation extension and soil reclamation for the Israel Water Authority. After returning to the U.S., Rosenberg obtained an M.S. in Soils Physics (1958) from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Soil Physics and Meteorology (1961) from Rutgers University.
Rosenberg was a professor at the University of Nebraska (1961–1986), and with colleagues and students, accomplished well‐recognized research and teaching programs in agricultural meteorology and climatology. Salient research included instrumentation improvement and methods for measuring radiation and mass exchange among soil, plants, and atmosphere. His research findings were incorporated in his influential book, Microclimate: The Biological Environment. Rosenberg was named Fellow of AAAS (1964), ASA (1979), and AMS (1984).
After retiring from academia, Rosenberg joined Resources for the Future (1986) where he led a multi‐disciplinary pioneer study on climate change impacts on agriculture, forestry, water resources and the energy sector, and economic implications. As Lab Fellow of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Joint Global Change Research Institute (1992–2003), Rosenberg led integrated studies on climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation in agriculture as well as impacts of interannual climate variability on agricultural productivity and soil carbon sequestration. In 2003, he joined the Center for Research on the Changing Earth System to contribute to studies on decadal climate variability phenomena. His was a member of the IPPC team recognized in 2007 with the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rosenberg is survived by Sarah, his wife of 72 years; son Dan, daughter Lisa, and daughter‐in‐law Bettina; grandchildren Joshua, Rachel, and Ariella; and great‐grandson Robbie.
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