Dr. Al J. Lingg, 77
Loving husband and father, Dr. Al J. Lingg, of Moscow, Idaho, died Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, at Gritman Memorial Hospital in Moscow.
Aloysius Joseph Lingg was born March 26, 1938, in Mt. Hope, Kan., to Aloysius and Mary Martin Lingg. He grew up in Andale, Kan., on the Lingg family farm.
After graduating from high school in Andale, Al served in the U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston as a medic, and later served in the Army Reserves. Following active duty, he and Judy I. Luckman were married on Dec. 28, 1961, in Wichita, Kan. He attended Kansas State University where he received his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in bacteriology.
In 1969, he joined the faculty at the University of Idaho as an assistant professor. Al quickly rose through the ranks to full professor and received tenure in 1974. He later served as head of the Department of Bacteriology (1985-1987) while simultaneously serving as Director of the Institute of Molecular and Agricultural Genetic Engineering (IMAGE). In 1987, Al became the Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs, as well as Director of International Programs for the College of Agriculture. Al’s passion was always for the students. He was quoted in 1998 as saying, “I tell people that I have best job on campus — getting involved with students and making a difference.”
Al retired from the U of I in 1998 to become Director of Academic Programs for Agriculture and Natural Resources for the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (later renamed “APLU”) in Washington, D.C. After five fulfilling years of service in our nation’s capital, he retired again in 2003 and returned to his beloved Idaho.
Al enjoyed traveling, and visited China, Pakistan and Russia while working at the U of I College of Agriculture. He visited all 50 states through his job at NASULGC (APLU). He also lived in Nepal for a year as a Fulbright professor. While there, he worked on water quality projects and taught the first microbiology class at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. In retirement, he and his wife of more than 54 years, Judy, enjoyed traveling to sunnier places in the Southwest in their fifth wheel. He was an avid outdoorsman his entire life and loved hunting and fishing in Idaho’s forests and rivers. A fishing trip to Alaska with his two sons and three grandsons was a huge highlight in his life. He was also a diehard supporter of Vandal athletics.
Al gave of himself freely and wholeheartedly to the students at the University of Idaho; however, he was first a loving husband, father and friend to his cherished family. Surviving Al are his wife, Judy, at their Moscow home; sons A. Grant (Joyce) Lingg of Seattle and Jason T. (Jodey) Lingg of Sammamish, Wash.; and daughter Mary (Michael) Wells of Moscow. He also leaves five grandchildren, A.J., Ryan, Bennett, Erin and Anna. He also leaves his sisters, Rosemary Kessinger (Bob) of Wichita, Doris Ann Rosskopf of El Paso, Texas, Catherine (Jim) Geisinger of Tulsa, Okla., and Virginia (Dean) James of Little Rock, Ark.; and numerous nieces and nephews. Al was preceded in death by a brother, Marcellus and a sister, Mary Alice.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Al J. Lingg CALS Ambassador Memorial Fund at the University of Idaho Foundation, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 3143, Moscow, ID 83843-3143. These gifts will be directed toward the University of Idaho’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ambassadors, a group dedicated to recruiting students to the college. Al worked closely with this group during his time at the University of Idaho.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 18, 2016, with details to come at a later date.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Short’s Funeral Chapel, Moscow, and online condolences may be sent to www.shortsfuneralchapel.net.