Renowned biologist, prolific author and editor, researcher
Otto Solbrig. (Courtesy photo)
Otto T. Solbrig, an award-winning biologist who was jailed for political activism as a university student in Argentina, died in his sleep April 7, 2023, at home in Harvard. He was born Dec. 21, 1930, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Hans and Rose Mabel (Muggleworth) Solbrig, immigrants from Germany and Wales, respectively. After high school Otto went to work for a year on a remote sheep farm in Patagonia without electricity, running water, or telephone. In 1950 he enrolled in the Faculty of Agronomy in the University of La Plata, Argentina. There he studied plant taxonomy and plant genetics with leading botanists and published several papers.
In 1954 he became involved with the student movement against the dictator Perón. As he was about to finish his final exams, the police removed any record he had ever been a student. He was arrested and jailed with other students for about three months. Without any documentation of his studies, he had no professional future in Argentina, so Otto decided to emigrate. He went to the University of California at Berkeley and received his Ph.D. in 1959.
While at Berkeley he married Roberta Chittum, with whom he had two children. In 1969 they were divorced, and Otto married Dorothy Crosswhite. In 1997 Otto and Dorothy moved to Harvard.
Otto was a professor of biology at Harvard University, working in plant population biology. He collaborated on a study of convergent evolution in North and South America. In 1998 he won the International Prize for Biology, awarded by the Emperor of Japan, for developing scientific ways to address the role of biodiversity in ecosystems. He was author or editor of 20 books and published hundreds of articles.
Otto worked closely with research groups in Venezuela and Argentina. In 1983, after years of military dictatorship, democracy returned to Argentina. Otto was tempted to return to his native land, but instead went frequently to give intensive courses and workshops. Beginning in the late 1990s he worked with an Argentine organization fostering no-till agriculture.
Outside of work, Otto was a sailor, vegetable gardener, woodworker, and cook. He loved classical music, especially opera. He served on the Harvard Conservation Commission and as a volunteer at Loaves & Fishes, as well as being active in the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church.
Otto is survived by his wife, Dorothy; his children, Hans Solbrig of Nevada City, California, and Heide Solbrig of Harvard and Cambridge; and his sister, Vicky Truppel of Argentina.
A memorial service to celebrate Otto’s life will be held at the Harvard Unitarian Church Saturday, July 1, at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the Fellowship Building. Donations in Otto’s memory may be made to Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, P.O. Box 1, Ayer, MA 01432.
.
.
