Wasco County OR Archives Obituaries.....Davidson, James M. September 26, 2006
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Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com December 31, 2006, 3:27 pm

The Dalles Chronicle, September 29, 2006
     Internationally known soil researcher James M. Davidson, 72, the 
University of Florida’s Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources 
from 1992 to 1998, died Tuesday, Sept. 26 at the E.T. York Hospice Care Center 
in Gainesville, Fla., after a long illness. 

     He was born April 16, 1934 in The Dalles. He attended The Dalles public 
schools and graduated from The Dalles High School. He received his bachelor’s 
and master’s degrees from Oregon State University and his doctorate from the 
University of California at Davis. He joined the faculty at Oklahoma State 
University in 1965 where he worked until 1974.

     He retired in January 1998 and was also a professor emeritus with the 
soil and water science department. He first came to the University of Florida 
in 1972 as a visiting associate professor, and joined the faculty in 1974 as a 
professor. As vice president, he was administrative head of the university’s 
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, overseeing statewide research and 
extension programs, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and select 
programs in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

     He received numerous distinctions, including appointments on U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency and Academy of Science committees 
investigating groundwater quality. He was a fellow in both the Soil Science 
Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. He also served on the 
board of directors for IMC Global, Inc. In 2005 he was inducted into the 
Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. In 2006 he was presented with the E.T. York 
Distinguished Service Award.

     He is survived by his wife Peg; mother Kathryn Davidson; father-in-law 
Maurice Tewinkel; sister Kathy Altig; brother Ed Davidson; daughters and sons-
in-law David and Debbie Burden; Sam and Jodi Bates; Ray and Michelle Crowder; 
grandchildren: Melissa and Natalie Burden; Trevor, Maggie and Emma Bates; Ryan 
and Lindsay Crowder; and many friends and colleagues. He was preceded in death 
by his father, Melvin Davidson.

     A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at the 
University City Church of Christ, 4626 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville, Fla. 
Officiant will be Steve Williams, former minister of University City Church of 
Christ.

     In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Florida, 
Foundation SHARE, PO Box 110170, Gainesville, FL 32611 in support of the 
Davidson Graduate Student Travel Scholarship Fund.


Additional Comments:
Written permission to reprint given by The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles, 
Oregon, Dan Spatz, Editor (e-mail dated 3/7/2006).


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