Edwin Cadmen Powell (1941-2008)

POWELL, HICKS, MILLER, ASCROFT, MOHR, PHILIPS

Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 1/6/2008 at 11:33:15

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Sunday, January 6, 2008.

April 11, 1941-Jan. 4, 2008

Edwin Cadmen Powell, Ph.D., 66, of Ames, passed away Friday, Jan. 4, at Israel Family Hospice House.

Visitation will be from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8. This will be followed by a Celebration of Life Memorial Service from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Family and friends are invited to share a meal and further joyful memories of Edwin from 7 to 9 pm. Services will be at Adams Funeral Home.

Edwin Cadmen Powell was born April 11, 1941, to Walton and Earleen Powell in Yuba City, Calif. He graduated from Chico High School in 1959, and then attended Chico State University from 1959 to 1963. After receiving a Bachelor's of Science in biology, he spent the following summer performing field research at Michigan University Biological Station. He continued his education by earning a masters in biology at Florida State University in 1966. For two years, he taught at Pensacola Junior College in Florida. His pursuit for higher education led him to Tulane University, in New Orleans Louisiana, where he earned his Ph.D. in Cellular Biology.

Edwin met his beloved wife, Joyce Hicks, while attending Chico State University. They wed on June 11, 1963, in Biggs, Calif., and began a 45-year life adventure together. In 1969, the couple moved to Ames, which has been their home ever since. He began a career in teaching and researching at Iowa State University department of zoology. There he impacted an innumerable amount of students' lives through his love for mentoring and education. Additionally, he was very active in extracurricular activities at ISU. Some of which include being the founder of the only university student-run Pheasants Forever Organization in the U.S.A., advisor for the ISU Rifle Club, and an educator for a multitude of student trips for research and education in countries such as Belize, Honduras and many more. He retired from ISU in June of 2006.

He was a man of much diversification. He loved nature and, as such, much of his extracurricular activities evolved from his need to breathe fresh air. He was an avid member of the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association and Fly Fishing Federation. Fly fishing was his first and dearest love. His mission was always to catch the "big one."

Hunting and working his dogs (Brittanies to be specific) was his other love. Walking the countless acres of fields just to see his dogs run is what definitely contributed to his "clean healthy" lifestyle. He participated and judged at many dog field trials. He was also involved in a multitude of organizations that fostered his love of conservation of the environment and nature. Some of which are: Pheasants Forever, Cyclone Kennel Club, Hawkeye Brittany Club, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited and many, many more.

His lifetime commitment to citizenship has resulted in various awards and recognitions. Some of these include the Governor's Volunteer Award, 1989; the Ruth W. Swenson Award for outstanding academic advising, presented by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1996 (this award was in recognition of excellence in academic advising of undergraduate students); and the Izaak Walton's Olav Smedal Conservation Award, 1997. He has also received recognition for more than 22 years of service to Story County Hunters' Education. Recently, in 2007, he was honored by Story County's Pheasants Forever as well as ISU's Student Chapter by having a newly acquired plot of land named after him: the Edwin C. Powell Nature Preserve. This land will be used to grow Iowa's native prairie.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Joyce; his son and daughter-in-law, Eugene and Jody Powell, of Oroville, Calif.; daughter and son-in-law, Dr.'s Celeste and Daryl Miller, of East Peoria, Ill.; daughter, Elaine Powell-Ascroft, of Portland, Ore.; brother and sister-in-law, John and Lynn Powell, of Chico, Calif.; sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Chuck Mohr, of Idaho Falls, Idaho; sister Charlotte Powell, of Wenatchee, Wash.; sister-in-law, Martha Powell, of Chico, Calif.; brother and sister-in-laws, Charles and Sharon Hicks, of Berry Creek, Calif., and Merle and Simone Hicks, of Jacksonville, Ark.; aunt, Beverly Philips, of Yuba City, Calif; and grandchildren Samantha Powell, Sydney, Simone, Powell and Willow Miller, Caleb Powell and Edwin Ascroft.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walton and Earleen Powell; and his brother, Press Powell.

Tight lines and clear water,
Edwin C. Powell, Ph.D., 1941-2008

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