Albert “Dale” Flowerday, 89, longtime agronomy professor, died June 10 at the Tennessee State Veterans Home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
A University of Nebraska alumnus, Flowerday worked at the university for 27 years, more than half with the Department of Agronomy, now agronomy and horticulture.
Flowerday was born June 14, 1927, and raised in Bee, Nebraska. He graduated from Seward High School in 1944 and attended the University of Nebraska. Majoring in agriculture, Flowerday earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950 and a Master of Science in 1951.
Flowerday served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict before becoming an agronomist and first superintendent with the Northeast Experiment Station at Concord in 1956. He earned a doctorate with an agronomy focus from Nebraska in 1958.
From 1964 to 1967, Flowerday led agronomy Extension and out-state testing activities. He accepted a position as deputy director of the university’s mission to Colombia in 1967, an office he held until being named vice chair of agronomy in 1969.
In 1971, Flowerday settled into the classroom, becoming an associate professor of agronomy with teaching and research responsibilities. He was promoted to full professor in 1973.
He enjoyed teaching — sometimes leading Agronomy 101 classes three times a day in the 1970s — and working with nontraditional students, particularly with international students who did not have a background in agriculture.
Flowerday’s research areas included irrigation, soybean yields, water use and simulated hail damage at what is today the University of Nebraska Agriculture Research and Development Center near Mead.
In 1983, Flowerday retired from the university to become agronomy manager with Pioneer Hi-Bred International.
In retirement, Flowerday helped initiate crop management and diagnostic clinics at the ARDC in 1996 and assisted with soybean management field days.
As a teacher of undergraduate and graduate courses, Flowerday was often rated an excellent instructor by students. He received many honors during his Nebraska career, including the UNL Student Foundation Builders Award for Teaching (1974-1976); the university’s Distinguished Teaching Award in science and technology (1976); and the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Nebraska chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta (1976).
He also led several student research trips to Colombia in the early 1970s.
Flowerday was named to the Northeast Nebraska Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1987, the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement in 2000. He also received the Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association Meritorious Service Award in 2001. And, he was a member of the American Society of Agronomy, Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Delta and the Nebraska Association of Crop Consultants.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert G. and Flora Koch Flowerday; his first wife, Alice Flowerday; and brother, Bill Flowerday. Dale is survived by his wife, Marlene Faubion Flowerday; his four sons, Charlie, Stan, Ken (Linda) and Rich (Cherith) Flowerday; grandchildren, Sean, Issac, Seth, Luke and Shay Flowerday; step-children, Tony Marley, Charlene (Brian) Schubauer, Marty (Toni) Monnier and Tonda (Randy) Pruitt; grandchildren, Amanda LaVelle, Mary Crouch, TJ Marley, Danielle and Bailee Schubauer, Rick Tinsley, Kate Marler, Jenny Monnier, Jena Carrier, Ryden and Andrea Pruitt; sisters, Joyce Althouse and Elaine (Tony) Vrana; numerous great grandchildren; and special friends.
A memorial service celebrating Flowerday’s life is 11 a.m. July 7 at Eastridge Presbyterian Church, 1135 Eastridge Drive, in Lincoln. Click here to view a complete obituary or to leave thoughts and memories of Flowerday.
