Kenneth Summy

Weslaco- Dr. Kenneth "Rod" Summy, 71, passed away on Saturday, June 30th, 2018. He graduated from Pine Tree High School in Longview TX in 1965 and served in the Marine Corps for the next two years, serving in the Vietnam War. After serving his country, Rod enrolled in college at Stephen F. Austin, where he met his soulmate, Laura and it was love at first sight. They wasted no time and were married six months after they met. Rod continued his education and Laura began her career teaching. After receiving his BS degree in Biology from Stephen F. Austin University in 1973, he and Laura moved to Palestine where Rod would make a daily 45-minute commute to College Station. He graduated from Texas A&M University with his MS in Entomology in 1978, and his Ph.D. in 1983. Rod was very bright and enjoyed research. While he was studying, he worked as a graduate research assistant and then as a Biological Technician with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. In 1978, he was hired by the USDA-ARS as a Research Entomologist stationed in Weslaco, where he and Laura would move and raise their two children, Andrew and Patrick. Rod worked on several projects, studying pest issues in cotton, corn, and citrus, the use of remote sensing technology for identification and mapping of native vegetation, agricultural crops and invasive weeds, detection and monitoring of incipient pest infestations on glasshouse crops, and documenting the extent of wind- and water-caused erosion occurring within inland and coastal areas of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He had over 70 publications in his years with the USDA and was very well known for his research. In 2000, he was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Biology Department, the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2005. He taught 11 different courses and served as Chairman of 11 graduated student MS committees during his tenure at UTRGV. He continued extensive research and ended his career with a total of 106 publications, including a textbook titled "Effective Speaking and Writing Techniques". Rod was an active member of the Sub Tropical Plant Society, serving as its President in 2012, and as the editor of the Subtropical Plant Science journal since 2007. He and Laura attended Grace Episcopal Church in Weslaco. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed traveling and camping, but his obvious passion was research and learning. Rod is preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Olga Summy. He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Laura, sons Andrew Summy (Samantha) of Minnesota and Patrick Summy (Melissa) of San Antonio, sisters Marilyn Jenkins (Ike) and Suzanne Russell (Kenny), and two grandchildren