This world lost a brilliant mind, gentle heart, and uniquely generous spirit with the passing of Brian James Darby on Friday, July 26, 2024, in the University of North Dakota community he’d grown to love and had grown to love him since his 2011 arrival in Grand Forks as an assistant professor of biology.
Born on Sept. 13, 1979, and raised in picturesque Kalona, Iowa surrounded by his grandpa’s apple trees, his grandma’s quilts, and lots of family and friends who adored him, it’s no wonder Brian forged a successful career focused on God’s creation in the soil and the unseen organisms thriving there.
Much like the microbiota he studied, Brian mastered the humble art of helping and improving without demanding praise or any attention at all – although many students, colleagues, friends, and family did notice and appreciate his confident, kind, and calming presence and insight.
Before rising through the ranks of academia to become a full professor with tenure in the Department of Biology at UND earlier this year, Brian was a kid in 4-H earning blue ribbons for his Rex rabbits, helping his dad with farm chores, and icing cinnamon rolls with his mom. In the fall, he would join his siblings in helping Grandpa Verton harvest apples and Grandma Pearl make applesauce. He claimed her famous noodles at Christmas as made just for him and pulled taffy with his grandpa in the basement.
Brian collected baseball cards, never passing up a trade for the Detroit Tigers’ Alan Trammell, and raced marbles with his cousins. He joined his dad on roadtrips to major league baseball stadiums and earned ribbons of excellence for speaking at the Johnson County Fair.
From 1994 to 1998, Brian attended Iowa Mennonite School – like his mom and dad, aunt and uncle, and brother and sisters. One teacher said his wisdom and maturity already were evident in his teen years, sharing a story about how Brian stayed after class one day to offer him encouragement.
“It was such an enormous gift that he gave me,” the teacher, who was new to IMS at the time, said. “Surely in that moment we can see a glimpse of the kind of teacher he would become.”
Brian’s entre into the world of academia he’d eventually call home took him first to Northwestern College in Orange City – about five hours west of the rolling hills of his childhood. After earning his bachelor's degree in biology there, Brian moved seven hours in the opposite direction to the University of Toledo, where he got a master’s degree from the Department of Earth, Ecology, and Environmental Science.
Comfortable now in the academic universe and the exercise it gave his curious mind, Brian completed his doctorate in plant and soil science in the upper northeast at the University of Vermont – not far from the Canadian border, like his eventual landing place at the University of North Dakota.
In his role as a research professor there, Brian taught and mentored hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, amassed tens of thousands in grant awards, earned honors for his leadership and discovery, and authored or co-authored dozens of research articles and publications.
His focus was on soil ecology – how soil microbiota affects the health and function of the soil system. He studied ways in which the ecological genomics of organisms dictate their abundance and distribution in the world. And he used molecular tools to analyze wildlife genetics’ relation to movement and behavior to help improve management and conservation.
Brian’s brilliance made him an expert in statistics and biometry, modeling quantitative data to test hypotheses, estimate parameters, and predict future scenarios. It also earned him the reputation as the ultimate fact checker – faster and more reliable than Google – during dinner-table disputes.
Heading into the fall, Brian was scheduled to teach a full line up of courses – from general ecology to genomics and biometry. His current research included a national study of soil health on Conservation Reserve Program grasslands and a study on Chronic Wasting Disease in deer populations throughout the northern plains.
“Brian was a valued mentor, friend and colleague in the biology family,” UND Biology Professor Kathryn Yurkonis said in a statement from the University of North Dakota. “He was well known for his kindhearted generosity and patience with the countless students he worked with over the years.
“Although his passion was always for soil nematodes, his impact on science and the projects he was willing to lend a thought to had no bounds.”
Brian, according to campus leadership, was known for caring deeply about his student researchers and for preparing them for careers contributing to the field of soil ecology. He worked to create research opportunities for undergraduate students too -- believing, “The most successful research projects begin at the freshman and sophomore years.”
Gone far too soon, UND Biology Department Chair Peter Meberg said Brian’s contributions to people and the planet were vast.
“Brian’s research involved applications of importance to wildlife as well as to agriculture and were of both national interest and importance to the people of North Dakota,” Meberg said.
Despite the physical distance from his family, Brian was intentional and joyful in keeping up with their escapades. During COVID, he launched a weekly Zoom call with his close family, which continues today; he created games involving his aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins.
He traveled to Colombia for his brother Michael’s wedding to wife, Jardely; offered insight into college options for his sister Carol’s son, Jacob; and celebrated with his signature chuckle the faux stuffed-animal wedding of his sister Tammy’s daughter, Elise.
His sense of humor and quick wit, his genius and generosity, his kindness and encouragement will forever be missed.
He is survived by his parents: Carl and Donna Darby; brother: Michael (Jardely) Darby; sisters: Carol (Ryan) Williams and Tammy (Sam) VanderWoude; nephews: Jacob Williams and Lucas VanderWoude; and a niece, Elise VanderWoude. He also is survived by his many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Brian is preceded in death by his grandparents: Verton and Pearl Miller, Galen and Marie Widmer; and uncle: Sharm Scheuerman
Donations in memory of Brian can be made to Hillcrest Academy or to the Biology Department at the University of North Dakota.
Celebration of Life will be held Aug. 10, 2024, from 4-7 p.m., with remarks at 5 p.m. at First Mennonite Church in Iowa City.
