Erick Nilson

Funeral Services were held 10:30 A.M., Friday, March 16, 1990 at Monroe Evangelical Free Church. Interment was held in the Aurora Cemetery.

OBITUARY: Erick Nilson

Erick Bogseth Nilson, the son of Victor and Lola (Bogseth) Nilson, was born at Aurora, Nebraska, on February 6, 1927, and passed away at Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 13, 1990, at the age of 63 years, 1 month, and 7 days.

He was raised on a farm near Aurora and graduated from Aurora High School in 1944. Following graduation, he farmed in partnership with his father, before serving in the U.S. Navy from March 22, 1945 to February 28, 1946.

He received his B.S. from the University of Nebraska in 1950, and worked as a SCS Soil Scientist following graduation, at Wakefield, and later Manhattan, Kansas. He attended Michigan State University and received his M.S. Degree from the University of Nebraska in 1955.

On March 14, 1955, he was united in marriage to Fern Miller at Stratton, Nebraska. They moved to the state of Washington where Erick served as County Extension Agent. In 1957, they moved to Iowa where he served as Extension Area Agronomist. In 1963 he received his Ph. D. from Kansas State University. After receiving his doctorate he accepted a teaching position at Eastern New Mexico State University, Portales. In 1965, he accepted the newly created position of Extension Specialist, Herbicides (Pesticidal Safety) at Kansas State.

During his 24 years as extension weed control specialist, Dr. Nilson molded an ever-expanding and effective weed control educational program for Kansas farmers. He was an integral member of the Chemical Task Force since its implementation in 1965, and was involved in developing training manuals for private and commercial pesticide applicators.

Since 1966 he served as Faculty Advisor to the Campus Crusade for Christ, a position he held for 18 years. He also belonged to Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Delta, Alpha Zeta, Silver Key, Epsilon Sigma Phi, Weed Science Society of America, Crop Science Society of America, and American Men and Women of Science.

On July 1, 1989, he retired from the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, and returned to Aurora.

He was preceded in death by his father.

Those who remain to cherish his memory are his wife Fern, of Aurora; one son Edwin of Lincoln; one daughter Christine Foote of Memphis, Tennessee; 3 brothers, Robert of Lincoln, Lyle of Omaha and Mark of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; his mother, Lola Nilson of Omaha and 2 grandchildren.