| David Martin Noetzel was born February 19, 1929, in Owatonna, Minnesota. Members of both his father’s and mother’s family were involved in farming, teaching and the outdoors and instilled in him at an early age an interest in the land, education and conservation. Dave attended the University of Minnesota and received a B.S. in Zoology in 1952 and an M.S. in Entomology in 1956. In 1956, he accepted a position at North Dakota State University where he taught General Entomology, Apiculture, Livestock Insects, and Ecology and served as an extension entomologist for honeybees and livestock insects. He worked in this position until 1964 when he returned to Minnesota to work as an instructor at Concordia College, Moorhead where he taught biology and ecology. In 1969, Dave accepted a position as an Assistant Extension Specialist and Instructor in the then Department of Entomology, Fisheries and Wildlife, where he moved steadily through the academic ranks to Extension Specialist and Professor of Entomology. During a time of innovation in agricultural entomology, Dave was involved in moving insect management away from calendar spray schedules and did much to facilitate the adoption of ecologically based insect management in Minnesota. He was strongly motivated by a desire to help production agriculture and conducted applied research that would have an immediate impact on the efficiency and economics of pest control. He enjoyed watching many of his findings become incorporated into standard agricultural practices in Minnesota. Throughout his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Dave published over 260 extension articles, fact sheets, bulletins, insecticide test results, and popular articles. His contributions were as diverse as they were extensive having worked on insect pests of sunflower, potato, wild rice, small grains, and on pesticide safety, pollination, honey production, and conservation.
Dave was keenly interested in young people. He devoted many hours as a 4-H judge for insect collections and rarely missed an opportunity to discuss any aspect of entomology or biology in general. He was also strongly dedicated to education. Each week through the autumns of 1995, & 1996, Dave even commuted the 300 miles to the Red River Valley to teach an entomology course at the Crookston campus of the University of Minnesota.
Dave’s contributions to extension entomology are legendary. He brought research-based information to urban and rural citizens alike, made a difference in crop production profitability, and tirelessly worked to help each person who contacted him. He believed passionately in the scientific process. He was uncompromising in his honesty and his devotion to seeking and extending the truth is an example to those of us working in the Land Grant system. Entomology is a familiar term in countless households because of the energy and spirit Professor Noetzel brought to 4H.
Dave was a professional beekeeper and with his wife, Lavonne and daughter Miriam ran a beekeeping supply shop called The Skep from 1972 to 1988. He was active internationally and brought to this work the same passionate desire to help people. He conducted research and extension activities on honey bees and honey production in Chile in 1977, and the Ukraine in 1993, 1994, and 1996. He also applied his pest management knowledge in Morocco in 1986 as an IPM consultant, in Sudan, Africa in 1988 on sunflower production, and Niger on Neem extracts. Dave made many friends in his travels and many of those with whom he worked remember him as an excellent ambassador for the University of Minnesota and the U.S. in general. He had an interest in U.S. history and was active in preserving Civil War Sites. His interest in conservation and the outdoors is evidenced by his active correspondence with Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine.
Dave retired in 1998 and moved “up north” to be closer to his favorite hunting locations, but this did not stop his activities. He continued to apply his knowledge on insects first as a consultant then later as an Extension Educator in east Polk and Beltrami Counties, a researcher with the Wild Rice Council and as a Research Associate at the NW Research and Outreach Center in Crookston, Minnesota. Dave continued to work until 2005 when Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis robbed him of his mobility.
With the passing of David M. Noetzel, agriculture and entomology have lost a valued colleague and friend.
Professor David Martin Noetzel died in Leonard, Minnesota on September 19, 2005 at the age of 76. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lavonne, sons Martin and Earl, daughters Elise, Miriam, Heidi, and Carolyn, and 5 grandchildren. |
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