Davy James

By: centraljersey.com
Richard Ilnicki was a man who believed strongly in giving back, be it to the community he served or to the friends and family he cherished.
Following his death at the age of 82 on Friday, those whose lives he touched remembered Dr. Ilnicki as a man who gave of himself tirelessly, to his former students, his colleagues and to South Brunswick.
"He was a wonderful husband and father," said Helen Ilnicki, his wife of 55 years. "He grew up on a farm and was involved with the 4H Club at a young age. At the urging of his 4H leaders he was encouraged to go to college and was the first person in his family to graduate from college. He felt so fortunate to have an education and he felt obligated to give back to his community anyway he could."
Dr. Ilnicki was born in Proctor, Vermont, and had lived in South Brunswick since 1932, including three years as mayor of South Brunswick in 1969, 1970 and 1972. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in plant science from Rutgers University in 1949 and an Master of Science in agronomy and plant physiology in 1951 from Rutgers.
He also received a doctorate in agronomy and weed science from Ohio State University in 1955, after which he began his career as an agronomist for the U.S. Army. He was hired by Rutgers in 1958 and retired as a research professor of weed science after a 33-year career.
"He used to say he went into weed control because he was so tired of pulling weeds on the farm as a boy," Ms. Ilnicki said.
In addition, Dr. Ilnicki’s accomplishments include being a former chairman of the Weed Science Society of America, as well as serving as chairman of the Northwestern Weed Science Society.
Dr. Ilnicki also had a love for teaching. He taught agronomy courses at Cook College at Rutgers up to and following his retirement in 1997.
"He was an inspiration to his students," Ms. Ilnicki said. "I got a call from the son of a former student of his from Kenya. He said his dad had been inspired to pursue his education by my husband and in turn his father inspired him to pursue his education. He told me he will inspire his children the same way and the inspiration that Dick gave will grow in future generations of their family."
One of his former students said Dr. Ilnicki was a mentor to him throughout undergraduate and graduate school at Rutgers as the two later became colleagues at Cook College.
"He was a tremendous humanitarian and it went beyond teaching his area of expertise," said Roger Locandro. "He believed in serving the people of his community and that is what made him such an effective and long-lasting educator. He trained some of the most important people in the world. It went beyond just learning about science and plants. It was his ability to relate with people. He was one of the best teachers in the country who always put his family first."
Dr. Ilnicki was proud of having graduated 23 Ph.D. students, 15 MS students and three post-doctoral students who went on to successful careers. Including Dr. Prasert Chitipong of Thailand, who became president of Songkhla University and later served in the Senate and Dr. Ratemo Michieka who became vice-chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University, later working for the government and traveling to the United Nations on Kenya’s behalf.
Dr. Ilnicki received numerous awards and commendations over his career and was a member of a team of scientists who visited the USSR in 1983 and China in 1990. He also served on the N.J. Turnpike Authority, was a former charter trustee and treasurer for the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture, served on the Dayton Cemetery Association, and was a charter member and past president of the South Brunswick Library board of trustees, which he helped build.
"He was a very accomplished gentleman who was both kind and sweet," said Susan Edelman, who served with Dr. Ilnicki on the library board and with the Friends of the Library. "He was a wonderful stalwart in support of the library. His involvement made sure the needs of the community were met with the facilities and offerings at the library. In spite of all his accomplishments, he always had time for his family and you could see by all the photos he had how important his family and friends were to him."
To honor the efforts of Dr. Ilnicki, the library dedicated its new sign in his name during its 40th anniversary celebration.
"He was a man who cared about this town and its people," said Councilman Chris Killmurray, who served with Dr. Ilnicki on the library board. "When we had the ceremony for him in the garden it was nice to see such a decent and humble man recognized for his hard work. When we worked on the library expansion his wisdom was priceless, as was his knowledge and experience. He was one of the leading experts in his field, yet was so understated and humble about all of his accomplishments."
Daylilies that Dr. Ilnicki grew and gave to friends around town now surround the library’s sign. Hybridizing daylilies were a hobby of his, as he had over 100 varieties and several crosses that he named after his daughters.
Dr. Ilnicki also served as director of public safety and was a former member of the Industrial Commission and Planning Board and was on the board of trustees of the League of Municipalities of New Jersey from 1970 to 1973. He also served on the South Brunswick Township Committee from 1966 to 1975.
"He was very quiet and thoughtful and always considered every subject in its entirety," said Frank Chrinko, who served on the Township Committee with Dr. Ilnicki. "He was a close, personal friend and I valued his friendship greatly."
Ms. Ilnicki said her husband never said no when he was asked to serve on a committee and always believed strongly in giving back. But despite his myriad accomplishments and accolades, it was always family first.
"Because of him I was able to enjoy so many adventures and meet so many wonderful people," Ms. Ilnicki said. "He had a very full, wonderful life and we were blessed. His family always was number one and he would drop everything and would do two things at once if he had to, always at his own expense and lack of sleep."
He is survived by Ms. Ilnicki, daughter Dr. Carolyn Ilnicki of Long Valley, three sons-in-law Cesare Berardi, of Chester, Mark Adamko, of South Brunswick, and Christian L. Gebbie, of Barrington, Ill.; his sister, Ruth Cilo and her husband John, of Belle Mead; three grandchildren, Arianna A. Berardi, David C. Gebbie, and Danielle D. Gebbie; a close family friend, Tom Cherrington of Robbinsville, and many nieces and nephews.
Dr. Ilnicki’s daughters, Deanna Berardi and Janet Adamko, and two brothers-in-law, Michael Birch and John Franek, died previously.
As his rich life came to an end last week following a long illness, one former colleague said Dr. Ilnicki was a person everyone should strive to be like.
"I don’t think there was a more outstanding gentleman than Dr. Ilnicki," said Joe Spataro, who served with Dr. Ilnicki on the Township Committee. "There ought to be more people in our society to live their life the way Dr. Ilnicki lived his."