We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Robert Kral,
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Robert Kral, who passed away peacefully at the age of 98. Dr. Kral’s remarkable contributions and dedication will be remembered by all who had the privilege of working with him. A full obituary will be posted shortly.
4 Responses
Thank you for making this web page in honor of my Dad. We only knew him in our way,
Bob was my professor in Systematic Botany and Dendrology at Vanderbilt in the late ‘60s. That’s only about 15 years after he was a POW, of which I was not aware. The designation “mentor” was not a thing then, but he was certainly my mentor. I spent many hours in the herbarium lab with him mounting plant material, even after I was working on an MS at MTSU. After I was in med school in Memphis, I had dinner in Bob and Mabel’s home many times when I was back in Nashville. We kept up with each other for years, but I never made it to Cairo to see him.
Of all of the dozens of teachers that I’ve had in my life, Bob is the one that I consider the best, and he was my favorite. He was a great teacher and a great man.
Amen!
Oh no!!
Bob (Dr. Kral to me back then…) was also my professor / mentor/advisor at Vanderbilt from 1986-90. He took our very small Systematic Botany / Dendrology classes on such fun and educational field trips and labs. The middle-of-the-woods pop quizzes and index cards, tromping through fields and riding in stinky rental vans all over TN…so many memories. We had an incredible camping trip to Cape San Blas, FL, where we learned about so many interesting species. I still have my Dendro notebook – it’s remains a treasured resource 30+ years later.
As students, we also had meals at their home in Nashville. Their yard was instantly recognizable as the only one with remaining/restored natural vegetation! He was one of the primary reasons I’m in the conservation / landscape architecture field. We kept in touch over the years via letters – I still have a few. Later, when Bob and Mabel moved to Cairo, GA, my husband, son, and I went to visit them for supper in their home. I was sad to hear that he had to move the herbarium collection from Vanderbilt to B.R.I.T., but glad to know it is in good care.
To the family – surely you know how quietly impactful Dr. Kral was in so many students’ lives. He was kind, full of amazing knowledge, and a wonderful teacher and mentor. I’m SO sad to hear of his passing! Thank you for providing a place for people to share their memories.
Now I will go searching for some of his namesake sedges…(among many other species…)