Obituary: William Bramlage, professor emeritus of Plant and Soil Sciences
William Joseph (Bill) Bramlage, 75, professor emeritus of Plant and Soil Sciences, Jan. 6 in Roanoke, Va., from complications of a congenital form of muscular dystrophy.Born in Dayton, Ohio, he attended Chaminade High School. He earned a B.S. from Ohio State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in horticulture from the University of Maryland.
He joined the faculty in 1964 as an assistant professor of Horticulture. He also taught in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. His research dealt with the physiology of fruits, primarily apples, and vegetables at both regional and international levels. He was promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure in 1970.
In 1971, he was honored as the Stockbridge School of Agriculture’s Teacher of the Year. In 1991-92, he taught and conducted research in New Zealand as a Fulbright Scholar.
He received a College Outstanding Teacher Award from the College of Food and Natural Resources in 1993. The following year, he was honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award, the campus’s top prize for classroom excellence.
He chaired the Plant and Soil Sciences Department from 1995 until his retirement in 2003.
He and his wife moved from their longtime home in Leverett to the Brandon Oaks Residential Community in Roanoke in the fall of 2007.
He leaves his wife, Georgene (Moizuk), his son William B. (Ben) Bramlage, and daughters Ann T. Heerens and Catherine S. Zimmerman, six grandchildren, three brothers, two sisters and his sister-in-law.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at his Roanoke parish on Saturday, Jan. 12.
There will be a memorial mass and burial at Holy Family parish in South Deerfield in spring or early summer.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Brandon Oaks Endowment Fund, Roanoke, Va.; Student Travel Fund Enhanced Learning Opportunities at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture; or the charity of one’s choice.
Image: William J. Bramlage. Campus Chronicle photo, 1994.
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Friday, January 11, 2013
