Charles Allen Black

Charles Allen Black was born on January 22, 1916, in Lone Tree, Iowa. His parents were Guy Cameron Black and Katharine L. Koehr. He received a B.S. in chemistry and soil science from Colorado State University in 1937. He then attended Iowa State College, receiving a M.S. in 1938 and a Ph.D. in soil fertility in 1942. ==Career==

Black taught agronomy at Iowa State College as an instructor (1939–1943), assistant professor (1944–1946), associate professor (1946–1949), and professor (1949–1980). In 1967, he was named the Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture. Black officially retired in 1979, but continued teaching as an adjunct professor until 1985. Black studied soil science, fertility, and chemistry, with a research specialization in soil phosphorus. He directed experimental work in both the field and laboratory, taught courses, and worked with multidisciplinary task forces reporting to members of Congress on issues relating to food and agriculture. Black published a graduate textbook on Soil-Plant Relationships (1957) and was the editor of books including Methods of Soil Analysis (1965), Agronomy in a Changing World and Research Needs for the Seventies (1971) Charles Allen Black died on July 6, 2002, aged 86. ==Awards and honors==

• 1957, inaugural Soil Science Award, American Society of Agronomy • 1976, Edward W. Browning Achievement Award for the Improvement of Food Sources • 1979, Distinguished Service Award, Agricultural Communicators Network (previously American Agricultural Editors Association) • 1980, Henry A. Wallace Award for Distinguished Service to Agriculture, Iowa State • 1981, Honorary Member, American Society of Agronomy • 1986, Agronomic Service Award, American Society of Agronomy since renamed the Borlaug CAST Communication Award. • 1992, Soil Science Distinguished Award, Soil Science Society of America ==Other interests==

Black played the French horn and built and operated short wave radios. He volunteered with WOI radio in Ames, Iowa. Black compiled a pronunciation guide for English-speaking radio announcers, containing 1,500 musical terms and musicians' names. ==Archives==