Dr. Phillip j. Craul passed away Thursday morning December 17, 2020. He has traveled this life for 88 years enjoying friends and family. Phil was commissioned after graduation from Penn State in 1954, he made his way to the 77 ^th Special Forces Group where he was an instructor of demolitions at Fort Bragg. Taking his love of teaching to the next level he continued his education at Penn State earning a MS in Forestry and a PhD in Agronomy. After spending time in Brewton, AL working for the US Forest Service, he took a position as Assistant Professor at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA. A new opportunity arose when offered a position at SUNY College of Forestry (now ESF) in Syracuse where he taught forest soils for 42 years. Phil started looking at urban soils and was one the original researchers looking at soil chrematistics needed for urban plantings. This led to a senior instructor position at Harvard's Graduate School of Design for 13 years. He also consulted on such projects at the Getty Center in LA, Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor and Harvard Yard's renovation. Dr Craul was preceded in death by his lovely wife, Joanne Meltzer Craul in 1999, and is survived by his son Timothy, and daughter Karen Lienhart. Phil was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and member to several scientific societies. In lieu of flowers, make donations to Grane Hospice, 115 Union Ave, Altoona, PA 16602. An online guestbook may be signed and condolences sent to the family at www.heintzelmanfuneralhome.com