Dr. Percy E. Brown (1885-1937)

BROWN

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/27/2022 at 17:59:08

From Nevada Evening Journal July 9, 1937 (page 1)

Final Rites for Soil Specialist at Ames Saturday

Ames, Iowa, July 9--Rites for Dr. Percy E. Brown, 51, one of Iowa's foremost soil conservationists and for six years head of the Iowa State college agronomy department, will be heard here Saturday morning.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. in the Adams funeral chapel, with the Rev. Walter Barlow, Presbyterian minister officiation. Interment will be in the Ames cemetery.

Dr. Brown succumbed early on Thursday morning from a heart attack.

One of Dr. Brown's greatest contributions to the state was his part in the development of the "Iowa system" of soil management, which has soil conservation and a "permanent agriculture" as its main objectives. This plan, since the establishment of the Soil Conservation service, has been of great value to government soils experts.

At the time of his death, Dr. Brown was chairman of the agricultural section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also editor-in-chief of the Iowa State College Journal of Science.

Born October 9, 1885, Dr. Brown came to Iowa State college in 1910. He was a graduate of Rutgers university. He held bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from his alma mater and received his doctor of philosophy degree at Ames in 1912.

For many years a member of the soil chemistry and bacteriology research staff at Ames, he became head of the agronomy department in 1931. One of his achievements was development of soils graduate work a Iowa State college, which is now rated "superior" by the National Education association.