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Dr. Timothy Tao Ku, age 87, passed away Monday, July 15, 2013 in Plano, TX. He was born in 1926 in Taochung, China. Dr. Ku was a Professor Emeritus in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) where he served for 38 years before his retirement in 1997. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in forest management in 1948 from the Nanking University. Dr. Ku then received his Master of Forestry degree in 1950 and completed his Ph.D. in 1954 both from Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (now Michigan State University).
Dr. Ku began his career as a consulting forester for T.S. Coile, Inc. He then joined the School of Forest Resources faculty at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (then Arkansas A&M College) in 1959 and became a full professor in 1963. Dr. Ku also served as a visiting professor at National Taiwan University in 1983. While at UAM he taught multiple courses, including forest soils, forest ecology, forest biology, photogrammetry, forest inventory, forest products, forest entomology, and several others. Dr. Ku influenced over 700 forestry graduates through his teaching and mentoring, and served under four Presidents/Chancellors and ten department administrators.
After the merger of Arkansas A&M College into the University of Arkansas System in 1973, Dr. Ku also served as the principal investigator of a number of national, regional and state-wide research programs in forestry. In 1981 he received a USDA Forest Service Certificate of Appreciation for his participation and accomplishment in a region-wide Southern pine beetle program. Dr. Ku authored or co-authored over 40 scientific publications and reports and presented at numerous professional conferences. His research efforts focused on forest soils, nutrient cycling, and productivity. In 1987 Dr. Ku led an Arkansas forestry group to represent the state in a Sino-American seminar on forest productivity and site evaluation hosted by the Council of Agriculture, Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC). In 1990 he also led an USDA Forest Service delegation, which included the Associate Chief, Deputy Chief for Research, and the Director of International Forestry, to participate in a Sino-American workshop on forestry administration and forestry technology, again hosted by the Council of Agriculture, Taiwan, ROC.
Dr. Ku was inducted into the Arkansas Foresters Hall of Fame in 1995 in recognition of his accomplishments and many contributions to the forestry discipline. He was very active in several professional organizations, including the Society of American Foresters (SAF), the Soil Science Society of America, the International Society of Soil Science, and the Arkansas Forestry Association. In 1980 Dr. Ku was appointed by then Governor Bill Clinton as a member of the Arkansas State Board of Registration for Foresters and served as its Chairman from 1983-85.
Dr. Ku joined SAF in 1959 and held all elective offices in the Southeast Chapter, Arkansas Chapter, and Ozark Section, and was Charter Chairman of the Ouachita SAF in 1983. He served on many SAF committees including the National Task Force on the Development of a Certified Professional Program from 1984-86. Dr. Ku was elected Ouachita SAF Outstanding Forester in 1984 and SAF Fellow in 1985.
Preceded in death by his parents and an older sister, Chen-Wong, he is survived by his wife, Victoria (Vicki), two sons and their families, Larry, Albert and Barbara (Stimac), Victoria’s niece, Yvonne Shao (Ying Cha) UAM 1985 and their son Anthony, and a brother, six sisters and their families. Timothy Ku is also survived by 7 nieces, 6 nephews and 22 great nephews/nieces.
Dr. Ku began his career as a consulting forester for T.S. Coile, Inc. He then joined the School of Forest Resources faculty at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (then Arkansas A&M College) in 1959 and became a full professor in 1963. Dr. Ku also served as a visiting professor at National Taiwan University in 1983. While at UAM he taught multiple courses, including forest soils, forest ecology, forest biology, photogrammetry, forest inventory, forest products, forest entomology, and several others. Dr. Ku influenced over 700 forestry graduates through his teaching and mentoring, and served under four Presidents/Chancellors and ten department administrators.
After the merger of Arkansas A&M College into the University of Arkansas System in 1973, Dr. Ku also served as the principal investigator of a number of national, regional and state-wide research programs in forestry. In 1981 he received a USDA Forest Service Certificate of Appreciation for his participation and accomplishment in a region-wide Southern pine beetle program. Dr. Ku authored or co-authored over 40 scientific publications and reports and presented at numerous professional conferences. His research efforts focused on forest soils, nutrient cycling, and productivity. In 1987 Dr. Ku led an Arkansas forestry group to represent the state in a Sino-American seminar on forest productivity and site evaluation hosted by the Council of Agriculture, Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC). In 1990 he also led an USDA Forest Service delegation, which included the Associate Chief, Deputy Chief for Research, and the Director of International Forestry, to participate in a Sino-American workshop on forestry administration and forestry technology, again hosted by the Council of Agriculture, Taiwan, ROC.
Dr. Ku was inducted into the Arkansas Foresters Hall of Fame in 1995 in recognition of his accomplishments and many contributions to the forestry discipline. He was very active in several professional organizations, including the Society of American Foresters (SAF), the Soil Science Society of America, the International Society of Soil Science, and the Arkansas Forestry Association. In 1980 Dr. Ku was appointed by then Governor Bill Clinton as a member of the Arkansas State Board of Registration for Foresters and served as its Chairman from 1983-85.
Dr. Ku joined SAF in 1959 and held all elective offices in the Southeast Chapter, Arkansas Chapter, and Ozark Section, and was Charter Chairman of the Ouachita SAF in 1983. He served on many SAF committees including the National Task Force on the Development of a Certified Professional Program from 1984-86. Dr. Ku was elected Ouachita SAF Outstanding Forester in 1984 and SAF Fellow in 1985.
Preceded in death by his parents and an older sister, Chen-Wong, he is survived by his wife, Victoria (Vicki), two sons and their families, Larry, Albert and Barbara (Stimac), Victoria’s niece, Yvonne Shao (Ying Cha) UAM 1985 and their son Anthony, and a brother, six sisters and their families. Timothy Ku is also survived by 7 nieces, 6 nephews and 22 great nephews/nieces.