Leslie Swindale | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leslie Denis Swindale (1928-03-16)16 March 1928 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Died | 25 September 2022(2022-09-25) (aged 94) Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Occupation(s) | Soil scientist Agriculturalist |
| Spouse | Delle Sprinza Natelson |
| Children | Two sons and a daughter |
| Parent(s) | Ernest Swindale Anne Walder |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan |
Leslie Denis Swindale (16 March 1928 – 25 September 2022) was a New Zealand-born soil scientist, agriculturist, writer and a former chairman of the Department Agronomy and Soil Science of theUniversity of Hawaii.[citation needed] He was the author of several books on soil and agricultural sciences[1] and was a part of theFreedom from Hunger Campaign of theFood and Agriculture Organization.[2] He was a Fellow of New Zealand Institute of Chemistry,American Society of Agronomy and a foreign fellow of theNational Academy of Agricultural Sciences.[3] The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of thePadma Bhushan, in 1991, for his contributions to science,[4] making him one of the few non-Indians to receive the award.[5]
Swindale was born to Anne Walder and Ernest Swindale on 16 March 1928 inWellington. He completed his graduate (1948) and master's (1950) degrees atVictoria University, Wellington before securing a doctoral degree from theUniversity of Wisconsin in 1955. He started his career as a physical chemist at the New Zealand Soil Bureau and held several notable positions which included Director of New Zealand Pottery and Ceramics Research Association,Lower Hutt (1960–1963), Professor and chairman of department of agronomy and soil science at theUniversity of Hawaii (1963–1968), Chief of Soil Resources Development and Consultant with theFood and Agriculture Organization (1968–1970), Associate director of Hawaii Agricultural Experimental Station, Honolulu (1970–1976), Director General of theInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, India (1977–1989) before becoming the Chairman of theConsultative Group on International Agricultural Research atPatancheru (1989–1990)[citation needed] He was the author of several books on soil and agricultural sciences[1] and was a part of theFreedom from Hunger Campaign of theFood and Agriculture Organization.[2] He is a Fellow of New Zealand Institute of Chemistry,American Society of Agronomy and theNational Academy of Agricultural Sciences[3] and a member of institutions and societies such asSociety for International Development,Soil Science Society of America,International Union of Soil Sciences, New Zealand Society of Soil Science,Royal Society of New Zealand, New Zealand Geological Society, Indian Society of Soil Science, Clay Mineral Society of India andGamma Sigma Delta.[citation needed] In 1991, he became one of among the few foreign nationals to be honored by the Government of India, when he was selected for the third highest civilian honour of thePadma Bhushan, for his contributions to science.[5]
Swindale was married to Delle Sprinza Natelson and the couple had two sons and a daughter.[6]
He died at his home inHonolulu on 25 September 2022, aged 94.[6]
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