Memorable Manitobans: Robert Joseph Soper (1927-2016)

Soil scientist.

Born on 25 August 1927, son of Joseph and Myrtle Soper, his childhood was spent at Weston, Ontario. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and McGill University then moved to Winnipeg in 1958 when he accepted a teaching position at the University of Manitoba. He did research on soil chemistry, soil fertility, and crop production. He served as President of the Manitoba Soil Science Society (1964). He moved to Vienna, Austria in 1972 to work for three years in the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In recognition of his contributions to agricultural research, he was made a Fellow of the Agriculture Institute of Canada and the Canadian Society of Soil Science, a Distinguished Graduate of the University of Saskatchewan Faculty of Agriculture, and he received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal(1977). He died at Winnipeg on 21 July 2016.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 23 July 2016.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 9 July 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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