Dr. Robert Dale

Dr. Robert (Bob) Frederick Dale, age 94, of West Lafayette, IN, passed away February 1, 2016.

Bob Dale was born in Lincoln, NE, on December 5, 1921 to Professor Frederick G. and Edythe Wrigley Dale and was raised in Wayne, NE. He married Anna Margaret (Amy) Clark of Chevy Chase, MD, in 1949, and together they raised five children: Anne, Clark, Jacqueline, Elizabeth, and John.

Bob earned a B.S. degree in meteorology at the University of Chicago in 1943 and an M.S. (1948) and Ph.D. (1964) from Iowa State University. Following WWII service as weather officer for the 8th Air Force (1943-1945) stationed in England, Bob served 20 years in the U.S. Weather Bureau, now the National Weather Service (1947-1967) and 20 years at Purdue University (1967-1987). In the Weather Bureau, he served as acting chief of the Agricultural Climatology Section in Washington, D.C., as Regional Climatologist for Alaska at Anchorage, as State Climatologist for California at San Francisco, and as central area and regional climatologist at Ames, IA, receiving the Department of Commerce Silver Medal in 1962 for valuable contributions to the science of climatology. Dr. Dale left the Weather Bureau in 1967 to become associate professor at Purdue University where he taught agricultural meteorology and statistical climatology. His activities included six months with the Romanian Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology in 1974, three months in Brazil with the University of Sao Paulo in 1977, five months at the University of Missouri in 1984, and four months in Indonesia in 1990. Bob authored more than 50 refereed journal papers and more than 100 publications during his career.

Bob loved spending time with his family with whom he shared his happy approach to every day life and was game for almost any kind of activity or adventure. For over 30 years, he and Amy spent Januarys in Mazatlan, Mexico. At home or at one of children's homes, Bob could often be found outdoors and working with his hands, whether it be carpentry, clearing trees with his kids, splitting wood, gardening, or other yard work. He was an avid fly fisherman and golfer. Bob also enjoyed talking and working with others. He was an active and consistent member of the Lions Club for 66 years, joining the club in every town in which he and his family lived. He was a member of the Lafayette Lions Club for the last 33 years. He was active in Faith Presbyterian Church and enjoyed talking with all those he met at Westminster Village.

Robert Dale is preceded in death by his wife Amy in 2012. He is survived by his five children: daughter Anne W. Dale Blair (Thomas Blair) of Grand Rapids, MI; son Morrison Clark Dale (Leslie Thomas Dale) of West Lafayette, IN; daughter Jacqueline G. Dale Broder (Michael Broder) of Florence, AL; daughter Elizabeth MacDowell Dale of Allentown, PA; son John Frederick Dale (Kathy Dalsimer Dale) of West Point, IN. He was especially proud of his 17 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A "Celebration of Life" service will be held at 3:00 pm, July 3, 2016, at Faith Presbyterian Church, 3318 State Road 26 West, West Lafayette, IN, 47906.

Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to Wildcat Creek Foundation (www.wildcatcreekfoundation.org), NICHES (www.nicheslandtrust.org), or Lafayette Lions Club.
Hahn-Groeber Funeral & Cremation Service is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be left at www.hahngroeberfuneralhome.com