Dr. George William Kunze Ph.D.

September 16, 1922 - October 3, 2015

Dr. George William Kunze, Ph.D., 93, of Warda, Texas, passed away on Saturday, October 3, 2015.

George was born in Warda, Texas on September 16, 1922, the son of John and Hermine (Moerbe) Kunze.

George W. Kunze entered Texas A&M College in the Fall semester, 1941 as a member of the largest freshman class to enroll at the institution to date resulting from the threat of war. Tuition and Fees totaled $25.00 for the semester. The Corp. was compulsory and following the U.S. entry into the war, the entire junior class was inducted into the military service during the Spring semester, 1943.

Following service in the Pacific Theater as an armorer gunner on a B-24 bomber, Kunze was discharged from the Air Force in November, 1945, and returned to Texas A&M College to complete the B.S. degree in Agriculture in January, 1948 and the M.S. degree in Agronomy in January, 1950. His Ph.D. degree was completed at Penn State University in June, 1952.

After completion of the Ph.D. degree, Kunze returned to Texas A&M College in September, 1952 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy (later changed to the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences), where he taught graduate level courses and did research involving soil chemistry and soil mineralogy. He collected and analyzed the chemical and mineralogical properties of many of the major soils in the State of Texas. In order to perform the mineralogical studies the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station was the first in the South to obtain modern X-Ray diffraction units. In 1966, Kunze was selected by his colleagues to receive the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in Research.

In September, 1967, he accepted the position of Associate Dean of The Graduate College and a year later became Dean of The Graduate College, which he held until retiring August 31, 1984. During his tenure as Dean, the graduate enrollment increased from 2,000 to more than 6,000. He provided leadership to the early development of the computer based academic record-keeping system which brought national recognition to the TAMU. Kunze then moved to his family farm in Warda, Texas where he spent the rest of his life raising Angus cattle, crops and spending a lot of time with family and friends.

His hobbies included photography, gardening, fishing, dancing, tubing on the river, cruising and enjoyed watching football.

He is survived by daughter, Brenda Duff of Lago Vista, TX; son, Wayne Kunze and wife, Cindy, of Warda, TX; sister, Doris Teinert, of Port Arthur, TX; two brothers: Otto Kunze of Warda, TX; Raymond Kunze and wife, Evelyn, of Round Rock, TX; four grandchildren: Benjamin Kunze and wife, Kari; Carly Wilson and husband, Devin; Nicole Slover and husband, Sam; and Jennifer Kunze; one great grandson, Kade Slover; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Flora Mae (Rothmann) Kunze; second wife, Elizabeth (Teinert) Kunze; three brothers-in-law: James Weber, and wife, Glora; Herman Teinert; and Royce Rothmann; two sisters-in-law: Margaret and Alice Kunze; and niece, Jeanette Teinert.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 7, 2015 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home. Family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. A prayer service will follow at 7:00 p.m.

Funeral Services will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 600 FM 1482, Warda, Texas, at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, 2015. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Church Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church Building Restoration Fund, P. O. Box 69, Warda, TX 78960; or George W. Kunze Endowment Graduate Award, 401 George Bush Dr., College Station, TX 77840.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig & Strickland Funeral Home, 208 W. Pearl, La Grange, Texas. Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals.com.