Edward Everett Dale Jr.

Edward Everett Dale, Jr. passed away May 1st 2009 in Norman following a short illness. Funeral Services will be at Havenbrook Funeral Home Chapel on Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at 3:00 P.M., interment following at IOOF Cemetery, Norman. He was born to Dr. Edward Everett Dale and Rosalie Gilkey Dale in their family home on the corner of University Blvd. and Main Street in Norman on August 18th 1920. An only child, Ed attended school in Norman and graduated from University High School in 1938 and then entered the University of Oklahoma. He enrolled in R.O.T.C. and majored in botany at OU. While there he met the young woman who would be the love of his life, Sarah Colvert. Both graduated in 1942, and Ed immediately reported for duty in the United States Army at Ft. Sill. In December of 1942, Ed and Sarah were married at Camp Livingston in Louisiana. Sarah followed Ed all around the country, as did so many young wives, as Ed went from one training assignment to another. Ed learned to fly as an Army Liaison Pilot and served for a time as an Instructor Pilot before he shipped out for the Philippines in the summer of 1945. There he served with an artillery battery and flew Piper Cubs, as he directed artillery fire against enemy positions. Ed served honorably and was discharged in February 1946. He and Sarah moved back to Norman, and he resumed his studies, earning his Masters Degree in Botany from the University of Oklahoma. He then went on to the University of Nebraska, where he earned his PhD in Botany. While at Lincoln, Ed and Sarah were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Judy. Ed began his teaching career at Baylor University and then moved on to TCU in Ft. Worth. Here their son, Edward Everett Dale III, was born. Restless to find the perfect teaching position, Ed learned of a job at the University of Arkansas and decided this was where he had to go. He applied and was accepted and moved his young family to Fayetteville. Here began his lifelong love affair with the University of Arkansas and, indeed, the State of Arkansas. For the next 32 years, Ed taught at the home of the Razorbacks. He loved his job, and every day was a joy to him. His students returned that warm regard, and he influenced countless lives from the front of the classroom. Following in the footsteps of his father, he mentored many students in the pursuit of graduate degrees, and those students continue to teach today. In the summers he worked on various research grants, conducting field work in the river bottoms, mountains and forests of Arkansas. This work would make him one of the most recognized authorities on the vegetation of Arkansas. In the early 1970s, he became a regionally recognized ecologist before ecology became fashionable and pioneered many groundbreaking studies in the State of Arkansas. He published numerous articles in scientific journals as late as 2007. He finally retired in 1990, but continued for a number of years to fill in for colleagues who were on sabbaticals. He served as president of the Arkansas Academy of Science, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Sigma Gamma Delta honorary societies, and Sigma Chi Fraternity. Throughout this period Sarah was the bookend to Ed's existence. She took care of the home front and looked after things while Ed was in the field. They enjoyed a life that everyone dreams of but few achieve. If Ed loved his work, that love was equally shared with his family and Sarah. "Sister D" was the center of his Universe! They shared a love of travel and enjoyed fishing in Lake Fayetteville. One of his favorite pastimes was to cook out on his back deck while the family sat around and watched him burn the chicken. Both Ed and Sarah were tremendously proud of their son and daughter and took great pride in their accomplishments. They also loved to have their grandchildren visit and for the kids, nothing was more fun than going to Locomation with Pa Pa! In 2005 poor health forced them to leave their beloved Arkansas and return to Ed's childhood home in Norman. Here they lived for the next four years, surrounded by Judy and Everett and their families. When Sarah passed away in September 2008, Ed continued to live life to the utmost, working on a book that would combine all his research over the years. He was a remarkable man, a scholar and a gentleman, and will be missed by all who knew him. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife. Survivors are son, Everett Dale and wife Mona Judy Day and husband Steve of Norman grandchildren, Ed Dale and wife Ashley of Kansas City, Katie Day Sughrue and husband Ben of Austin, TX, Andrew Dale, Isaac Dale, Nathan Day, and Meghan Day all of Norman. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312, or for more information or online contributions, www.diabetes.org. Send condolences online at http://www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com/Obituaries.htm http//www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com/obituaries.htm