Dear All,
We regret to inform you that on Thursday, 07.11.2024 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Heinz Dieter Kutzbach passed away at the age of 84.
Prof. Kutzbach was since a long-time member of the ISTVS. He was involved with tractor tire-soil interaction right into his retirement years.
Like all former members of his research team, I was very strongly influenced by him during my time at the department. He led us with both great professional competence and personal warmth and gave us the freedom to shape our own research projects. He was proud of the careers of his alumni and the dissertations he supervised.
Mr. Kutzbach was appointed as Prof. Segler’s successor to the Chair of Fundamentals of Agricultural Engineering in 1976, which he held until his retirement in 2005. In addition to the basic engineering subjects at the University of Hohenheim, he also taught the subjects of agricultural tractors, oil hydraulics and agricultural machinery in the agricultural engineering specialization at the University of Stuttgart.
His research focused on agricultural tractors, terramechanics, grain harvesting with combine harvesters and energy and environmental technology. He supervised 43 dissertations, published over 220 scientific publications, gave over 100 lectures at scientific conferences and wrote the textbook Fundamentals of Agricultural Engineering, published in 1989.
Through his involvement in the self-administration of the University, he made a significant contribution to the development of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and the University of Hohenheim. He was Managing Director of the Institute for many years, was Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and a member of the Senate and Administrative Board. Outside of the university, he was involved as a DFG expert reviewer as well as in the VDI and the Max-Eyth-Gesellschaft für Agrartechnik. Internationally, he was active in the Club of Bologna and the ISTVS. He also maintained intensive contacts with colleagues in Eastern Europe.
I am grateful to Prof. Kutzbach for his influence on my professional career, his advice and his support. I will remember him with gratitude. My deepest sympathy goes to his wife Gudrun Kutzbach and his children Inke, Martin and Jens and their families.
Kind Regards
Stefan Böttinger--
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Böttinger
Head of Fundamentals of Agricultural Engineering
UNIVERSITY OF HOHENHEIM
Stuttgart, Germany
We are informed by Professor Böttinger that the memorial service will be on Friday 29th of November in the Church at Schlaitdorf. The mourning address is Goethestr. 5, 72667 Schlaitdorf.