Harold Sande McNabb, Jr. (1927-2011)
MCNABB, NELSON
Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 8/5/2012 at 14:49:03
From Adams & Soderstrum Funeral Home obituary, Story County, Iowa:
Harold Sande McNabb, Jr.
BORN: November 20, 1927
DIED: May 12, 2011
LOCATION: Ames, Iowa
Sande McNabb was born on November 20, 1927 in Lincoln, Nebraska. After he was born, his father said to his wife, "Erma, Sande is here." As a boy, inspired by George Washington Carver, Sande bred irises. Inspired by his uncle Don Nelson he also formed an interest in forestry. After unsuccessfully breeding irises for several years, Sande turned away from horticulture and to forestry, but he never lost the inspiration he drew from George Washington Carver.
Beginning in high school, he started working summers for the US Forest Service in Idaho. He started on a fire tower as a lookout, advancing in future summers to fire chaser and then dispatcher. Sande was the youngest district dispatcher in the US Forest Service.
In 2000, Sande wrote a biographical essay. Here is some of what he wrote.
Margo and Sande met as juniors at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1st year Spanish class in the Fall of 1943. Sande thought she was of Spanish heritage because she was so good in class. Margo sympathized with him because he was an Eagle Scout who wore his uniform to school during Scout Week, her father having been active in Scouting for many years.
They did not date until the end of their senior year in high school. Sande never forgot that first date, a dance sponsored by the three high schools in Lincoln, because in introducing Margo to a close friend his mind went blank. Margo and his friend had known each other for many years so they let him fumble the introduction!
Margo and Sande went steady during their four years at the University of Nebraska, being married the day after graduation, 7 June 1949. Their honeymoon summer was spent in northern Idaho where Sande spent his sixth summer with the US Forest Service in forest district administration and fire control activities.
In early September, they moved to New Haven, Connecticut and Yale University where Sande began graduate studies in Forest Pathology and Plant Physiology in the Botany Department and the Forestry School. Sande held a teaching assistantship, becoming director of the biology teaching assistants his last year. During the summers he was responsible for the decay studies of the Yale University/Office of Naval Research Tropical Wood Project. Son Peter James was born on 1 July 1950 in New Haven. Sande received a M.S. In Plant Science in June 1951 and the Ph.D. in Forest Pathology/Plant Physiology in June 1954.
During the spring of 1952, Dr. Wendell Bragonier, Head of the Botany and Plant Pathology Department at Iowa State College, interviewed another graduate student at Yale for a faculty position. Professor John S. Boyce, Sande's major professor at Yale, suggested that Sande also interview for practice. Surprisingly, in two months, Sande was offered the position with the condition that Iowa State would wait until his research was completed at Yale the following year.
Margo and Sande moved to Ames on the 1st of February 1953 where Sande became Assistant Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology, and Forestry. Thus began a very wonderful and rewarding professional career for Sande at Iowa State University and a joyful home in Ames for the whole family. Their daughter, Genene was born on 12 May 1954. The family moved into a newly built home in north west Ames in September 1956.
Sande became an Emeritus University Professor at the end of January 2000, after 47 years to the day as an active faculty member of Iowa State University. At Iowa State, Sande's research focused on oak wilt, Dutch elm disease and most recently poplar trees. Although retired, Sande continued on campus working with students. In the summer of 2000, he began to mentor high school interns in the Ag. Minority Internship Program.
Margo's and Sande's activities through their lives have been associated with young people and politics. Sande was a Scoutmaster for 25 years of the G. B. MacDonald Memorial Troop 158. He took his troop to the Valley Forge National Jamboree in 1957, the Grand Tetons National Park in 1963, to a National Jamboree in Colorado Springs, Colorado and a European camping trip in 1973. He and Margo served as sponsors for the Junior High Fellowship in the 1960's and early 70's at the Collegiate Presbyterian Church. Sande was an elected member of the School Board of the Ames Community School District from 1963 to 1972.
Much of Sande's work with young people centered around his activities at Iowa State. He was faculty adviser to the undergraduate Botany Club for five years. He helped initiate the annual Botany Club lectures and increased student interest in the Botany Club's VEISHEA exhibit. He was a regular evaluator for the North Central Association for high school biology programs. While at Iowa State and following his retirement, Sande was deeply involved in promoting the State of Iowa High School Science Fair. Sande served as a judge, meeting many students he would later mentor at Iowa State.
One reason that Iowa State originally interested Sande was the Botany department's interest in bringing undergraduate and high school students as interns into their research projects. During his 47 years as an active researcher, Sande always had at least one high school student summer intern and usually undergraduate interns. He was active in giving programs in high school science classes around the state. Sande served on college and departmental curriculum and advising committees. When the Faculty Senate was organized in the late 1980's, Sande was elected to be the Department of Plant Pathology representative. During his six years on the Senate he served on the Academic Affairs Council. He was secretary the first year and chair for the next three. From 1993 to 1994 he was President of the Faculty Senate.
Sande and Margo came to Ames as Republicans. Sande had even been active in Scientists for Eisenhower at Yale. In 1964, Sande and Margo switched to the Democratic Party. They increased their activity in politics because of Harold E. Hughes. Sande was on Hughes' Committee when Hughes became Governor of Iowa.
Sande was one half of that formidable political team, "Margo and Sande." When Margo ran for chair of the Story County Democrats in 1981, Sande announced if they elected her, he would be her secretary. She won and held that office for eleven years. Sande was Margo's secretary, chief of staff and parliamentarian. The team became key players in local and state politics. The highlight of Sande's political career came in 2000 when Margo was elected a Gore delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Sande proudly accompanied her to the convention in Los Angeles.
Sande was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, both professional and political. Of them all, he was proudest of the George Washington Carver Distinguished Services Award, which he received in 2006.
Sande gave many lectures on George Washington Carver around the country. He was the keynote speaker at the Carver Birthplace Day in 2007. He was a speaker at the dedication of the Carver Center in Washington, D.C. One of Sande's dreams came true when Iowa State awarded George Washington Carver an honorary Ph.D. Sande always credited his love of science to the inspiration of George Washington Carver.
Amazingly enough, Sande still had time to attend cultural events. Since the early 1960's, Sande and Margo supported and attended the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From childhood Sande enjoyed attending movies. He and Margo went to a movie every week during their courtship. Sande was an avid collector of political items, especially buttons. He also enjoyed collecting stamps, especially first day covers.
Above all, Sande enjoyed mentoring and teaching young people.
Funeral Service
May 17, 2011
10:00 AM
Collegiate Presbyterian Church
159 N. Sheldon
Ames, IA 50014
http://www.adamssoderstrum.com/
Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen