Dr. L. Dale Van Vleck, emeritus professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, passed away December 23, 2025, in Dallas, TX, after a brief illness.
Dr. Van Vleck was born on June 11, 1933. He grew up near Clearwater, Nebraska on his family farm. Dale earned his bachelor’s (1954) and master’s (1955) degrees from the University of Nebraska prior to serving in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. He then continued his education at Cornell University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1960, working with Dr. Charles Henderson. Continuing his career at Cornell, he first served as a research geneticist before transitioning to a tenure-track position; he was promoted to full professor in 1973. While a student, he married Delores (Dee) who would be his wife of 55 years (d. 2013). Along with his career, he also built his family, which included daughter Elizabeth, son John, and later granddaughter, Audrey.
Dale’s first retirement was in 1988 when he transitioned to emeritus faculty at Cornell and became a research geneticist with the USDA Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. His position at US MARC included an appointment as professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Although his second official retirement was in 2007, he never truly retired. Until COVID, he continued to go to the office daily and actively contributed to research and student training. He persistently investigated new ideas related to animal breeding and genetics, asked insightful questions at student seminars, and always kept a stockpile of Little Debbie snack cakes nearby.
Known for developing pioneering methods that improved and expedited animal evaluation, his greatest legacy is through his training of young scientists. Dale formally advised 52 Ph.D. and 39 M.S. students, and 77 research associates. Over half of these mentees came from one of 33 countries outside of the U.S. His memory was unmatched – he could recall not only details about scientific studies, but of each of his student’s interests, the grade they earned in the courses he taught, and their career paths. He continued correspondence with many long after their training was complete.
Dr. Van Vleck’s body of work was remarkable, comprising 14 books (including “The Green Book”), 11 book chapters, 376 peer-reviewed publications, and 377 proceedings and abstracts. Although he was never one to brag, the list of awards Dr. Van Vleck earned is long, including recognition as a Fellow of the American Society of Animal Science (1999), Beef Improvement Federation Pioneer Award (2002), the ASAS Morrison Award (2005), and induction into the ARS Science Hall of Fame (2010).
Services will be at a later date. The family obituary and guestbook to leave condolences are available here.
