Charles A. Rowles earned his B.S.A. and M.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He joined UBC's Department of Agronomy in 1946 as Associate Professor of Soils, after working as an instructor at the University of Saskatchewan and as Associate Professor at Ontario Agricultural College. He was promoted to full professor in 1955. That same year, the Faculty of Agriculture was re-organized, and Dr. Rowles joined the Department of Soil Science. The next year, he became head o the Department, replacing Dr. D.G. Laird; he remained in that position until his retirement in 1980. During his tenure, both Dr. Rowles and the Department of Soil Science as a whole were involved in various initiatives at the provincial and federal levels regarding the study, classification, and conservation of soils in British Columbia and Canada. Among these were the B.C. Soil Science Lead Committee (one of several committees struck in the 1960s to advise the provincial government on science matters); the B.C. Lime Committee; the federal Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act (1961); and the National Soil Survey.
From the description of Charles A. Rowles fonds. 1939-1980, predominant 1954-1979. (University of British Columbia Library). WorldCat record id: 606455195
