From listmaster animalgenome.org Wed Dec 24 17:00:06 2025
From: "Jessica Petersen" <jessica.petersenunl.edu>
Message-Id: <20251224230006.04FC3C172E87genome5.ansci.iastate.edu>
To: Members of AnGenMap <angenmapanimalgenome.org>
Subject: Passing of L Dale Van Vleck
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2025 17:00:06 -0600
A true legend in Animal Breeding, Dr. L. Dale Van Vleck, passed away December 23,
2025, in Dallas, TX, after a brief illness.
Dr. Van Vleck was born on June 11, 1933. He grew up near Clearwater, Nebraska on
his
family farm. Dale earned his bachelor’s (1954) and master’s (1955) degrees
from
the
University of Nebraska prior to serving in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. He then
continued his education at Cornell University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1960,
working with Dr. Charles Henderson. Continuing his career at Cornell, he first
served
as a research geneticist before transitioning to a tenure-track position; he was
promoted to full professor in 1973. While a student, he married Delores (Dee) who
would be his wife of 55 years (d. 2013). Along with his career, he also built his
family, which included daughter Elizabeth, son John, and later granddaughter,
Audrey.
Dale’s first retirement was in 1988 when he transitioned to emeritus faculty at
Cornell and became a research geneticist with the USDA Meat Animal Research Center
in
Clay Center, Nebraska. His position at US MARC included an appointment as
professor
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Although his second official retirement was
in
2007, he never truly retired. Until COVID, he continued to go to the office daily
and
actively contributed to research and student training. He persistently
investigated
new ideas related to animal breeding and genetics, asked insightful questions at
student seminars, and always kept a stockpile of Little Debbie snack cakes nearby.
Known for developing pioneering methods that improved and expedited animal
evaluation, his greatest legacy is through his training of young scientists. Dale
formally advised 52 Ph.D. and 39 M.S. students, and 77 research associates. Over
half
of these mentees came from one of 33 countries outside of the U.S. His memory was
unmatched – he could recall not only details about scientific studies, but of
each
of
his student’s interests, the grade they earned in the courses he taught, and
their
career paths. He continued correspondence with many long after their training was
complete.
Dr. Van Vleck’s body of work was remarkable, comprising 14 books (including
“The
Green Book”), 11 book chapters, 376 peer-reviewed publications, and 377
proceedings
and abstracts. Although he was never one to brag, the list of awards Dr. Van Vleck
earned is long, including recognition as a Fellow of the American Society of
Animal
Science (1999), Beef Improvement Federation Pioneer Award (2002), the ASAS
Morrison
Award (2005), and induction into the ARS Science Hall of Fame (2010).
Dale was generous, kind, brilliant, and humble. He will be missed.
|
