Jimmy Stritzke
February 21, 2013
Jimmy F. Stritzke (Jim), longtime resident of Stillwater,. and Lake City, Colo., died from complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease at 5:25 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2013. Jim started his education in a rural one-room schoolhouse. He was the first member of his family to attend college when he enrolled in Oklahoma State University. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in agronomy at OSU in 1958. After being introduced to his future wife, Donna Marie Stewart by a childhood friend, Jim and Donna were married on Sept. 9, 1959. Jim also obtained a master’s degree in Agronomy and a doctorate in agronomy from the University of Missouri before returning to OSU in 1969 to join the faculty as a professor in the College of Agriculture. Jim’s life was one of service to others. He dedicated his professional energies to agriculture and worked tirelessly to find ways for the people he served to improve their own lives. Among his most important contributions was the pioneering work he did on chemical brush control in the rough, rolling hills of southeast Oklahoma. His efforts there were widely acknowledged as he found and shared practical solutions for the enormous challenges faced by agricultural producers. Nowhere was his positive influence felt more than by his students. He threw himself wholeheartedly into anything he did and those who were audacious enough to follow him into the field would find themselves challenged both mentally and physically. His work ethic, integrity, and example inspired his students. All who worked with him became lifelong, loyal friends.