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Guenther Stotzky, a world-renowned soil biochemist and microbial ecologist, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Academy of Microbiology, Soil Science Society of America, and American Society of Agronomy, died on April 11, 2015.

Guenther Stotzky was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1931. In 1939, he and his family fled Nazi Germany and settled in Chicago. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 1952 and received his PhD from Ohio State University when he was 25 years old. He became a professor in the Department of Biology at New York University from 1967 to 2008. He worked primarily on soil ecology, focusing on the interactions between microbes, proteins, and minerals, which put him way ahead of his time. He had more than 170 publications starting in 1960, including articles in Nature and Science and highly specialized journals. He was editor of some books on Soil Biochemistry. His work was continuously funded by a number of sources (National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Department of Agriculture). Until his retirement by the age of 77, he was unanimously elected professor emeritus. More than 50 PhD students and postdocs worked with him over the years, and he made many contributions to NYU and his field of research.

His pioneering work on persistence and ecological effects of transgenic plants and the insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis in soil is recognized by scientists in laboratories and institutes worldwide. He served on various committees at national and international levels and advised government agencies on genetically modified organisms. He was consultant to various companies including Westinghouse Electrical Corporation. He was awarded the prestigious Fisher Scientific Company Award for Applied and Environmental Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology, 1990; Selman A. Waksman Honorary Lecture Award, Theobald Smith Society (New Jersey Branch, American Society for Microbiology), 1989; and Distinguished Visiting Scientist, US Environmental Protection Agency (1986–1989).

Guenthers linguistic style was perfect and his social competence was amazing. Guenther’s knowledge was sharp and his contribution towards the worldwide scientific advance such as towards the International Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry (ISEB) were of outstanding importance for both junior and senior colleagues and long-lasting in our quickly changing time. Besides being an outstanding researcher and a dedicated teacher, Guenther was a caring person, indeed an ideal colleague who will be remembered for a long time. Guenther is pre-deceased by his wife Kayla Baker Stotzky. He has three children, Jay, Martha, and Deborah Stotzky. Guenther, as a scientist, mentor, colleague, and loving father, will be deeply missed.