MANHATTAN, KANSAS, US — Dr. Charles Deyoe, who for 16 years served as head of Kansas State University’s (KSU) Department of Grain Science and Industry and was the first director of the university’s International Grains Program Institute (IGP), died recently at the age of 90.

Deyoe, who was department head from 1977 to 1992 and IGP director from 1978 to 1996, was one of nine individuals who received a Centennial Lifetime Achievement Award during the 100th anniversary celebration of the Department of Grain Science and Industry in 2010.  

Ernie Minton, dean of KSU’s College of Agriculture, said Deyoe had “a lasting impact” on the department and the university.

“Over the years, Dr. Deyoe worked tirelessly to build consensus among the various Kansas grain commissions and the Kansas Legislature to establish the International Grains Program Institute,” Minton said. “The Institute was the first professional organization in the United States that provides technical training to support the market development for US grains and soybeans.

“On behalf of K-State’s College of Agriculture, I want to express our gratitude and our sincere condolences to Charlie’s wife, Lois, and the entire Deyoe family following his passing.”

Jeff Gwirtz, a KSU graduate who was hired by Deyoe to teach in the university’s Milling Science program, said Deyoe’s well-rounded educational background made him an ideal leader for the Department of Grain Science and Industry.

“Dr. Deyoe provided unending support of all the individual programs within the department, including milling, feed and baking science as well as cereal chemistry, which was undoubtedly due in part to his educational background,” said Gwirtz, a consultant for the global flour milling industry. “His ability to engage at all levels of the grain processing industry established a high bar for leadership in a multidisciplinary department such as the Department of Grain Science and Industry.”

Deyoe grew up on a farm near Coldwater, Kansas, US, in the southwestern part of the state. He graduated from Coldwater High School in 1950 and enrolled at KSU, majoring in animal science. After receiving a bachelor of science degree in 1955, he enrolled at Texas A&M University where he was awarded a master’s degree in animal nutrition and a doctorate degree in biochemistry and nutrition. Upon graduation, he was appointed assistant professor of poultry science at Texas A&M.

Deyoe returned to KSU in 1962 as an assistant professor in the in the feed science program. He became a full-fledged professor in 1968 and was named Outstanding Agricultural Professor at KSU the following year. An animal nutrition expert, Deyoe developed a significant source of non-proteinaceous nitrogen for use in animal feed for ruminant animals. He also authored and co-authored numerous research papers during his time at KSU.

In 1977, he was named head of the Department of Grain Science and Industry and in 1978 became the first director of the IGP.

After retiring from KSU, Deyoe served as wheat quality consultant for C&L Technology in Manhattan from 1997-2004.

He received numerous awards during his career, including the National Agribusiness Association Award for Agricultural Excellence in Science in 1987 and the Wheat Man of the Year from the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers in 1992. He also served on various industry committees, including the Wheat Quality Council, National Research Council Committee on Animal Nutrition, and the Patent Advisory Committee at KSU’s Research Foundation.