Fall 2012 Update
It doesn't seem possible that I have been retired for over 10 years. When I retired in 2002, Freda and I lived in the nearby Rossmoor community of Walnut Creek We then moved to Washington, near Seattle, where we lived for six years. However, the humid climate of the Puget Sound area turned out to be bad on Freda's health. So last year we moved to our present home near the mile high city of Prescott, in the arid mountains of central Arizona.
I had intended to work into my 70's or 80's, but a heart attack induced me to not only take early retirement, but also to devote the remainder of my life to my family and community service. Freda and I have spent two to four months of each year traveling throughout the world, mostly to visit family and friends. We both have been very active in community service and community service organizations. In this connection I have written more than 200 newspaper articles. I also maintain a small amount of professional activity. One example of this, which I particularly enjoyed, was being invited to write the lead chapter of the book, Latin American Issues and Challenges, entitled, "The Roots of Cuba's Agricultural Renascence;" which featured the incredible story of Fidel Castro's hands-on activity in the development of organic agriculture in Cuba. I am now involved in an exciting project of writing essays on a very wide variety of subjects, and in writing a book and a novel.
I remember joining the Berkeley faculty in 1968 (Department of Soils and Plant Nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences), and have fond (and not so fond) memories of my involvement in the seemingly almost constant changes in organization and titles of programs, majors, and departments in the college. As Chairman of the Conservation of Natural Resources major; Chairman of the Department of Conservation and Resource Studies; Assistant Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences; and many other appointments and assignments; I had the privilege of being heavily involved in the development of the College of Natural Resources. I also have many fond memories of serving as a faculty athletic advisor, for 25 years, and of working with the football program and coaches, especially Joe Kapp, Tom Holmoe, and Steve Mariucci.
I have very fond memories of the scores of fine faculty and non-academic staff members who I worked with over the 34 years I was active, most of whom have retired or passed on to the great beyond (I am one of only two surviving members of the 1968 Department of Soils and Plant Nutrition faculty). My memories of the more than 300 undergraduate and graduate students whom I served as academic advisor are especially enjoyable. I very much enjoyed advising students and teaching. In reviewing my Berkeley record, I was very surprised to learn that I taught an average of more than four courses per year - even with an exceptionally heavy load of research, university and public service and administration.
I am especially proud that, over my more than 40 years of teaching, I never deviated from my teaching philosophy of teaching students how to think, with the focus on the student; rather than the now prevailing philosophy of teaching students how to learn, with the focus on the teacher.
In closing I want to send my best regards to all of my former students and colleagues, and best wishes to the current faculty and student body. I urge all of you to follow my example of spending your life in trying to make the world a better place for all creatures.