Last week Yolanda Hoffman introduced us to new member Charles Shapiro. Charles was born in New York City. His mother, Edith, was a refugee from Nazi Germany whose family luckily had relatives in the US who were able to get them a visa and provide material support. This part of the family history was and continues to be a major influence on Charles’ life. Charles grew up in a suburb of New York City, graduated from Ardsley High School. He started college at the State University of New York at Binghamton where he met his future and present wife, Joan Sudmann, when he was organizing a Food Co-op. Charles transferred to agriculture school in 1973 and graduated with a General Ag degree from Cornell University. After graduation, he worked on two farms in New York State, and in 1975 moved to Nebraska where he earned his Masters (1978) and Doctorate (1982) at the University of Nebraska. After graduation Charles took a position as Soil Scientist with Castle & Cooke, owners of the Dole banana brand in Guayaquil, Ecuador. When the position their was closed he returned to Nebraska in 1984 to a faculty position with the University of Nebraska, Department of Agronomy, located at the Northeast Station outside of Concord. He and his family moved to Wayne in April 1984. In 2018 Dr. Shapiro retired from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Shapiro conducted research mainly in improving nitrogen use efficiency. The overriding principle he has worked to promote is that getting more nutrients into a crop results in greater value to the producer, and less potential loss to the environment. Currently he is a member of the Nebraska Soil Health Task Force commissioned by the Nebraska Legislature in 2019 and will present an action plan to the state in January 2021. He is also on the board of directors of the Midwest Assistance Program which provides technical support for rural communities managing their water and waste systems. Dr. Shapiro and his wife, Joan Sudmann Shapiro moved to Omaha in June, 2020 to be closer to their two children and their families. He was a member of the Wayne Rotary Club before moving to Omaha. Welcome, Charles! |
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