Stoddart, L. A. (Laurence Alexander), 1909-1968

Range scientist and Utah State University professor.

Laurence A. Stoddart served as Department Head of the Range Management Department at Utah State University from its inception in 1935 until his untimely death on July 17, 1968. Writing in the September 1968 issue of the Journal of Range Management, the editors confirmed Stoddart’s “brilliant record as both scientist and teacher, being at the same time a true intellectual and a perfectionist. Students from all parts of the world came to learn from him. That there are today so many eminent range scientists and range men who received their training from Stoddart, is an outstanding tribute to his ability.”

Stoddart was widely celebrated as a researcher and writer, publishing hundreds of scholarly articles, and co-authoring the manual, Technical Writing, an indispensable guide for writers of scientific literature. Along with longtime colleague Arthur D. Smith, Stoddart published Range Management in 1943. The third edition of Range Management was published posthumously for Stoddart in 1975, making it the most widely used text in the field, and granting Stoddart and Smith an enduring legacy for their professional commitment.

Stoddart was active both locally and nationally in professional societies, including the National Academy of Sciences, the Society of Range Management, the Society of American Foresters, and the American Society of Animal Science.

Born at Trinidad, Colorado, in 1909, Stoddart received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Colorado State University. Subsequently, he studied under the storied J.E. Weaver at the University of Nebraska, where he earned his doctorate in 1934. From here, he accepted the challenge to initiate a Range Management program at Utah State.