William H. Tallent 1928 - 2003

TALLENT, REDFIELD

Posted By: Marguerite (email)
Date: 5/28/2003 at 12:41:13

William H. Tallent, 74, of 831 West Side Drive, died peacefully after a gallant struggle with cancer on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at his home, surrounded by his family.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, May 27, 2003, at 11:00 AM at Lensing Funeral Home, Iowa City, with the Reverend Paul Akin officiating. The family will host a gathering there immediately following the service. Burial will be in the new section of Oakland Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Iowa City Hospice at 1025 Wade Street, Iowa City, IA 52240, or First United Methodist Church, 214 East Jefferson Street, Iowa City, IA 52245.

Bill was born May 28, 1928, in Akron, Ohio, the son of Othar and Agnes Tallent. He spent most of his boyhood in Tennessee, graduating from Oak Ridge High School in 1946. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Tennessee and his doctorate from the University of Illinois, where, on his way to a dance, he met Joy Redfield, a graduate student just leaving the dance. She was persuaded to stay for the rest of the dance and ultimately to marry Bill in Beloit, Wisconsin, on August 23, 1952. Upon graduation he worked at the National Institutes of Health in the National Heart Institute for three years. He then worked as a research chemist with G.D. Searle in Skokie, Illinois, until joining the Department of Agriculture, serving in several positions at the Northern Regional Research Center in Peoria, Illinois, before becoming Director. In 1983 he was transferred to Washington, D.C. where he served as Deputy Administrator for the Agricultural Research Service, Northeastern Region, and then as the first Director of the Office of Technology Transfer, where he was particularly proud of working with the “1890” colleges.

Dr. Tallent was the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1981 Distinguished Economic Botanist Award, a 1988 Presidential Rank Award, and a 1992 NASA Technology Award for Lifetime Achievement in Technology Transfer. In 1993 he was a member of the 1890 Capacity Building Grants Team that received USDA Distinguished Service and Reinventing Government Award.

He belonged to several professional organizations, including AAAS, the American Chemical Society, the Society for Economic Botany, and the American Oil Chemists Society. In 1988 he became editor-in-chief for the Journal of AOCS.

Bill was active in the United Methodist Church, especially its Church and Society programs. His concern for the disadvantaged was a life long focus. He especially loved fishing, bluegrass music, history, games of Scrabble with his grandkids, and a good political argument.

Four and a half years ago the Tallents moved to Iowa City to be closer to family. Bill is survived by his wife Joy, son Raymond and wife Paula Bergstrom of Marengo, daughter Cinda and husband John Allen of Iowa City, and daughter Elizabeth and partner Gloria Rogers of Stanford, California, as well as four grandchildren, Daniel, Maren, and Luke Allen of Iowa City and Gabriel Tallent in California, and two brothers, Kimmer Tallent of Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Robert Tallent and his wife Candy of Mount Laurel, N.J., several nieces and nephews, and an aunt, Nellie Holt of Clinton, Tennessee.