I walk through the NCBL building daily that houses the PBGB division at IRRI and today, I am moved by the news of sad demise of such a great stalwart. We all remember him best for his wonderful soil science book that students globally used to read for their grad and under grad schools. His immense contribution to the rice community particularly at IRRI stands high. I pay my due respects and heartfelt condolences to his family members.