Sympathy to the Family and Colleagues of Edward Brown

JONESBORO – The university community extends sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr. Edward Alan Brown, assistant professor of agronomy, who died Jan. 24.

Brown’s career demonstrated his devotion to education and professional service in agriculture. After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy at the University of Arkansas, he earned his doctoral degree in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Missouri. His consulting work took him 42 times to the country of Argentina, where he became known as “Dr. Soybean.”

A faculty member in A-State’s College of Agriculture for the past eight years, Brown was committed to teaching, mentoring, and advancing the field he loved. His knowledge, integrity, and steady encouragement left a lasting impression and earned him the admiration of colleagues across the university community.

A member of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, the Arkansas Certified Crop Advisors Committee, and Collegiate FFA, Brown was author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and held plant variety patents. More recently, he wrote the textbook “Plant Science: An Introduction to Growth, Development, and Production of Agronomic and Horticultural Crops.”

Survivors include his wife, Susan, along with three daughters, two grandchildren, and numerous other family members. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Harris Funeral Home in Morrilton. The obituary is online.

Arkansas State University will darken the tower of the Dean B. Ellis Library in the evening after the service in memorial tribute to Brown his contributions to A-State and higher education.