Larry P. Wilding is Professor Emeritus, Soil and Crop Sciences Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. He earned his PhD from the University of Illinois in 1962 and has served as a pedologist on the faculty of The Ohio State University from 1962 to 1976, as Visiting Professor at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1972, and as Professor of Pedology at Texas A&M University from 1976 until his retirement in 2003. He has over 40 years of teaching and research experience in near surface geoscience processes, soil diversity, soil micromorphology, hydric soils, soil classification, Vertisol genesis, soil carbonate enrichment, soil carbon sequestration, surface mine reclamation, and international agriculture land use and development. He served as president of the Soil Science Society of America, charter member of the US National Committee on Soil Science, member of several NRC/NAS Committees, member of the Executive Committee of the American Geological Institute, Chairman of Subcommission B (Soil Micromorpholgy) of the International Soil Science Society, Member of Statutes and Structure Standing Committee of the International Union of Soil Sciences, and currently serves as the co-chairperson of the 18th World Congress of Soil Science Organizing Committee. He is a registered Professional Soil Scientist and Professional Agronomist with ARCPACS, Soil Science Society of America, and Professional Licensed Geoscientist (Soil Scientist) in the State of Texas.