Bradford A. Waddle

Dr. Bradford Avon Waddle, 92, of Jonesboro, formerly of Harrison, Arkansas, passed away July 28, 2012, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro, Arkansas, after a brief illness. Dr. Waddle was born in Hunt County, Texas, on January 26, 1920 to Frances Edna Taylor and Hillard Carlton Waddle. He attended public schools in the county, graduating from Greenville High School. He received his BS and MS in Agronomy from John Tarleton and Texas A&M and his PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Purdue University. After college, Dr. Waddle reported for active duty in the United States Marine Corps in August, 1942. The following January he boarded a ship in San Diego, California, as a member of the 12th Replacement Battalion for service in the South Pacific. He served in New Caledonia, Guadalcanal and Okinawa. Returning to the States in June, 1945, he then was reassigned to a unit being trained for the invasion of Japan. The War ended and he was released with the rank of Captain. He served in the Marine Corps Reserve, attaining the rank of Major. Dr. Waddle served on the faculty of the University of Arkansas for 34 years, teaching classes, researching cotton and supervising Graduate and foreign students. In 1951, Dr. Waddle was appointed Assistant Professor in the Agronomy Department. He was later appointed to fill the First Chair for cotton research, established by the Altheimer Foundation. In 1972, he was bestowed the rank of Distinguished Professor and held both positions until his retirement in 1985. He had become known in Arkansas and the extended Agronomy circles as "Mr. Cotton" for his extensive work in cotton research. He served in a number of leadership positions and received numerous awards for research excellence from organizations such as Gamma Sigma Delta, the Scientific Research Society of America, the Beltwide Cotton Council, the Alumni Association, Sigma XI and the Blue Key Honor Society. He received the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1967 from the University of Arkansas, Agronomy Department, now known as the Department of Crop, Soil and Environment of Science. While living in Fayetteville, he was an active member of Central United Methodist Church, serving on the Board of Trustees and teaching the Young Adult Sunday School class. He was a member and past President of Fayetteville Kiwanis Club. Brad was an avid fisherman and loved camping and traveling in his RV. He spent winters in Arizona for a number of years and looked forward to each trip. He had a delightful sense of humor and kept the family laughing with his dry wit. Dr. Waddle was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Carl Waddle and Cleave Waddell of Denton, Texas, his wife of 47 years, Wanda McGhee Waddle and his wife of 19 years, Elsie Kindrick Jacks Waddle, who passed away in March of 2012. He is survived by his stepchildren Lynn Jacks Chrisman (Mel) of Jonesboro, Arkansas, with whom he resided; James F. Jacks, Jr. (Donna) of Senatobia, Miss.; and Patricia Jacks Weeks (George) of Brandon, Miss. He is also survived by five grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and by an extended family of three generations of nieces, nephews and a lifetime of friends. He will be greatly missed by all. A memorial graveside service will be held on Friday, August 3, 2012, at 1 a.m., at the Fayetteville National Cemetery, Fayetteville, Arkansas. There will be no visitation. The family requests that memorials be made to the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House, 1148 E. Matthews, Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401. Online registry at www.emersonfuneralhome.com.