Donald Field

Middleton - Donald Reed Field, 78, of Middleton, Wisconsin passed away in the arms of his loving wife on Saturday April 7, 2018 at the St Mary's Care Center in Madison. He was born March 9, 1940 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the son of Lenore Reed Field and Donald E. Field. He was married for 55 years to his college sweetheart, Nancy Hayden Field. He is survived by his wife and three children Peggy (Chris) Lippert of Denver, Colorado, Andrew Field also of Denver and Donald (Erin) Field of Crownsville, Maryland as well as six grandchildren, Kendall and Reed Field-Lippert plus Robby, Ian, Alec and Samantha Field and a large extended family.

Don received his BS and MS degrees from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Ph. D in Rural Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University in State College. His distinguished professorial career included many national and international academic appointments, starting in 1968 as Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology at South Dakota State University in Brookings. In 1970 he moved to Seattle as Chief Scientist for the Pacific Northwest Region of the National Park Service and Professor of Forest Resources at the University of Washington. He moved to Oregon State University in Corvallis in 1983 as Professor of Forestry and was appointed the first National Park Service Senior Scientist in Sociology. He spent the last 23 years of his career at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he served as Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Director of the School of Natural Resources, and Professor of Rural Sociology and Forest and Wildlife Ecology.

As the intellectual leader of social science research on natural resources, he spearheaded the creation of a new professional society, the International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR). He is the author of several academic books, co-founder of the publication Park Science for the National Park Service, now a popular full color magazine, and was a founder of the International scholarly journal, Society and Natural Resources, as well as editor of other scholarly journals.

Don will always be remembered for his positive attitude, wonderful sense of humor and gentle kindness as patient father and loving husband. He followed and encouraged the performance of his children on the soccer field, led family backpacking, sailing and outdoor scouting activities. He and his sons raised sheep while living on a five-acre farm in Oregon.

As an honored and respected professor, he had an extraordinary ability to guide students to the practical application of their skills--encouraging them to put their research into the service of the natural environment and society. It was indeed a life well lived. He will never be far from the hearts of family, friends and colleagues.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2018 at St.
Bernard Catholic Church, 2015 Parmenter St, Middleton, WI. A visitation starts at 10:00 am, followed by Mass at 11:00. A reception follows with sharing of memories.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to honor Don Field consider a contribution to their scholarship fund. Make memorials payable to the "UW Foundation-Donald and Nancy Field Natural Resources Scholarship", US Bank Lockbox 78807, Milwaukee, WI 53278.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
608-238-3434