logo
  Home >> Latest News
IN MEMORIAM Samir Aly El-Swaify (1937-2022)
Author:     Source:     Click:

It is with deep regret that we have to announce the death of Prof Dr Samir Aly El-Swaify, the advisor of our association for the term of 2017-2019 and 2020-2022, age 84, who passed away at Honolulu, Hawaii on April 27, 2022, following complications from heart surgery. 

Prof. Dr. Samir A. El-Swaify was well known to all concerned with soil and water conservation around the world. He dedicated all his life to the study, research and promotion of the conservation and sustainable use the natural resources soil and water, through different activities at global level. He was the main promoter and founding member of the two main World Organizations on Soil and Water Conservation, ISCO (International Soil Conservation Organization) and WASWAC (World Association on Soil and Water Conservation). Both organizatios were created during the International Conference on Soil Erosion and Conservation that he organized in Honolulu, Hawaii (USA) in 1983. He was also Chairman (1986-1990) of the recently created Subcomission C on Soil Conservation and Environment of ISSS (now Comission 3.2 on Soil and Water Conservation of IUSS).

Following the foundation of ISCO he became the Coordinator of the ISCO-Board of Directors, promoting and collaborating in the organization of 20 International Conferences  in different countries in every continent, the last one in New Delhi (India) in 2019. Many of those Conferences have been held in cooperation with WASWAC, ESSC (European Society for Soil Conservation) and the Comission on Soil and Water Conservation of IUSS.

For his research, teaching, organizing activities and strong commitment to the sustainable use of global natural resources soil and water, while meeting essential human needs, he will long be remembered. We have lost not only a good scientist, but also a human colleage who always looked for understanding and cooperation among the diferent people, institutions and organizations dealing with soil and water conservation.

Prof Samir A. El-Swaify was born on July 14, 1937 in Port Said, Egypt. After graduating from the University of Alexandria with a BS in Soil Sciences, he went to USA on an Egyptian government scholarship to attend the University of California, Davis. There he gained his Ph.D. in Soil and Water Sciences. Following a year of postdoctoral work at UC Riverside, Samir received an offer  to commence his prestigious, 40 year career at the University of Hawaii as a Professor; including time Chairing the Departments of Agronomy and Soil Science, and Natural Resources and Environmental Management. After retiring in December of 2005, Samir continued his service to the University as a Professor Emeritus in Soil and Water Conservation.

He is survived by : his wife Charlene; his children, Ayman (Jeri El-Swaify), Hala (Glenn Tompkins) and Salwa (Dennis Kasabian); his grandchildren, Gabriel (Dyanna El-Swaify), Micah (Marissa Tompkins), Victoria El-Swaify, Jared (Jamie Tompkins), Colin (Alexandria Tompkins), Nathan Tompkins, Iman (Gunnar Cox) and Aram Kasabian (Aliya Kasabian); his siblings, Salwa Swaify, Gamal Swaify and Yassar Swaify; and also, Abigail Tompkins, Madison Tompkins, Maia El-Swaify, Rebecca Tompkins, Levi Tompkins and Aleigha Tompkins.

Prof Samir A. El-Swaify has made great contribution both for the science and the association, we will deeply miss him.

 

 

World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC). All Rights Reserved.
Address: The Secretariat of the WASWAC, Room 402, IRTCES Building, No.20 Chegongzhuang Road West, Beijing, 100048, China
Tel: +86 10 68786579 Fax:+86 10 68411174 Email: waswac@foxmail.com waswac@vip.163.com
Produced By CMS 网站群内容管理系统 publishdate:2022/06/09 15:39:10