We are saddened to share the news that a former College of Forest Resources faculty member, Fiorenzo Ugolini, passed away on November 22, 2023, at age 94. Fiorenzo is fondly remembered by students, colleagues, and friends for his passion, positive influence, and his extraordinary work on soil development in temperate, boreal, and arctic soils. Learn more in his obituary, shared below.

Florenzo Cesare Ugolini (January 16, 1929 – November 22, 2023)

Professor Fiorenzo Ugolini was born on snowy day in Florence, Italy in 1929. As a young boy, he dreamt of becoming an Arctic explorer. He moved to the United States in 1954 to pursue his doctorate in Pedology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1955, his dream became a reality when he went on his first polar expedition. In 1963, he moved to Columbus, Ohio where he was Associate Professor at Ohio State University for three years. In 1966, he moved to Seattle, Washington, where he was Professor at the University of Washington from 1966 to 1990. In 1990, he returned to his native city of Florence, where he became Professor Emeritus at the University of Florence. He is fondly remembered by his students for his dedication to giving them the best education possible. He went on to explore every cold region in the world from Spitsbergen to Siberia and from McMurdo Station to Scotts Camp. His major discovery was finding life under the many layers of ice in Antarctica. As a result, he was often consulted about whether there was life on the Moon or on Mars. He had published over 100 articles from his research.

He holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Agriculture from the University of Florence and PhD from Rutgers University in Soil Sciences. He won the the Duchaufour Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Soil Science in 2009. He received a Citation from Admiral Byrd for Bravery because he rescued a helicopter crew from a life-threatening fire in Antarctica. He has been on over 25 expeditions to the Polar Regions and even has a mountain in the Antarctic named after him, Ugolini Peak.

He is survived by his two daughters, Annalisa Ugolini Salazar and Ughetta Miller and his two grandchildren, Isabella and Johnathan Miller.