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James "Jim" Brazzel '56 May 19, 2017 1:41 PM updated: May 19, 2017 2:19 PM

AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST • Spring 2001 [page] 62

James Roland Brazzel

JAMES (JIM) ROLAND BRAZZEL died 14
November 1998. Jim was born 2 May 1921
in Hico, Louisiana. He attended public school
in Hico and graduated from high school there
in 1938. In September 1938, he entered Louisiana
State University (LSU) to pursue premedical
studies and later enrolled in the
vocational agriculture program. He left LSU
in 1941 without completing a degree and in
1942 entered the U.S. Army. Jim was transferred
to the Air Force where he was promoted
to First Lieutenant and served as a
pilot of B17s and B29s and later as an instructor.
Upon being discharged in 1945 he
returned to LSU to continue study toward a
B.S. degree. Again without completing the
degree, he returned to active duty with the
U.S. Air Force where he remained until 1950.
After farming for a brief period, he again
entered LSU and completed requirements for
a B.S. degree in agriculture in 1951. He began
graduate study in entomology at LSU in 1951
and was awarded an M.S. degree in 1953.
Jim entered Texas A&M University
(TAMU) in 1953 to pursue study toward a
Ph.D. degree in entomology. After completing
most of the requirements for the degree,
he accepted a position as Assistant Entomologist
with the Louisiana Agricultural
Experiment Station where he and L. D.
Newsom conducted studies on diapause of
the boll weevil. Their 1959 paper on boll
weevil diapause is an important contribution
to this subject and it provided key elements
in the foundation for subsequent
diapause control programs directed toward
eradication of this pest. Jim was awarded a
Ph.D. in entomology by TAMU in 1956.
In 1957, Jim accepted a position as Associate
Professor with the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station to conduct research on
cotton insects. Laboratory and large-scale
field studies were initiated on a variety of
cotton insect problems with the help of many
graduate students. It was during this period
that Jim conducted most of the research to
test the hypothesis that diapausing boll weevils
could be controlled during the fall season
to substantially reduce winter survival
and suppress population development the
following year. During the approximately 6
years Jim was with the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station, he and his students published
many journal articles and Experiment
Station bulletins on their varied cotton insect
research projects in Texas. He was promoted
to Professor of Entomology by
TAMU in 1962. His talents for organizing
and conducting large projects were widely
recognized, resulting in administrative appointments
throughout most of his remaining
career in entomology.
Jim became Head of the Department of
Entomology at Mississippi State University
in 1963. He energized the department and
laid the foundation for outstanding basic
and applied research programs. Jim greatly
expanded the graduate program in entomology
at Mississippi State University and
through it provided opportunity for, and
influenced the lives and professions of, numerous
aspiring entomologists. He was a
pioneer in the rebirth of integrated pest management,
especially in cotton, while at Mississippi
State University.
In 1968, Jim became Chief Staff Officer
of Methods Development, Plant Protection
Quarantine in the USDA Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service. His work included
pink bollworm programs in the West, boll
weevil suppression programs in Texas, and
boll weevil eradication programs in Arizona
and the Southeastern United States. Jim was
one of many entomologists who made great
contributions to boll weevil research and
development of a boll weevil eradication program.
He stands out as the single most influential
individual to provide technical and
operational leadership for successful implementation
of boll weevil eradication in the
southeastern United States.
Jim is survived by a daughter, Carolyn
Ann Turley; one grandson; and two brothers
and a sister.
Jim will be remembered by his many
friends, colleagues, and former students for
his scientific accomplishments, his infectious
optimism, his unshakable confidence that
problems could be solved, and his belief that
big goals could be accomplished.
F. Aubrey Harris
Mississippi State University
Horace R. Burke
Texas A&M University
Willard A. Dickerson
North Carolina Department of Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
From findagrave.com

James Roland Brazzel

Birth: May 2, 1921, USA
Death: Nov. 14, 1998, USA


Family links:
Spouse:
Allie Fowler Brazzel (1923 - 1972)

Burial:
Harmony Chapel Methodist Cemetery
Hico
Lincoln Parish
Louisiana, USA

Created by: Barry Stevens
Record added: Sep 22, 2009
Find A Grave Memorial# 42270661


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