Raj Mathur

Raj Bahadur Mathur was born February 1,1936 in Hasanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. He died on December 1, 2003 in Orange, California. Mathur earned his bachelors degree in geography at Camp College in Delhi and a master’s in geography and economics from Punjab University, Camp College, Delhi. He came to the United States in 1966 and at the University of Minnesota he earned a master’s degree in economics and in 1973 completed his Ph.D. in geography. Through his graduate study and early career, he was involved in the creation of the Historical Atlas of South Asia, eventually published in 1978.

He taught at California State University, Northridge before joining HDR Ecosciences in 1977 as and economic geographer. In 1983, Mathur joined Tetratech Inc., where he later became vice president, and in retirement, a consultant.

Raj Mathur (Necrology). 2004. AAG Newsletter 39(3): 11.

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Meera Schoen

Professor emeritus, Department of Geography, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana died on November 18,2003 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Born in West Bengal, India Meera received her Ph.D in 1951 from the London School of Economics and joined Ball State University in 1970. Before her arrival to Ball State, Meera worked at Western Washington State University, Calcutta University, and the Indian Institute of Management and Social Welfare in Calcutta. Schoen retired from Ball State in 1988.

Meera Schoen (Necrology). 2004. AAG Newsletter 39(2): 17.

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Terry Jordan

Past president of the Association of American Geographers, died at his home in Austin, Texas, on 16 October 2003, from pancreatic cancer. (In recognition of his 1997 marriage, he began using the name Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov as his professional nom de plume, while retaining his birth name for other purposes). Born in Dallas in 1938 as a sixth generation Texan, Terry earned his master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin (where he met Walter Prescott Webb) and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His dissertation was later published as German Seed in Texas Soil: Immigrant Farmers in Nineteenth-Century Texas (1966). This was to be the first of fifteen authored or co-authored books and textbooks published during his lifetime. These include The Upland South: The Making of an American Folk Region and Landscape (2003); The American Backwoods Frontier: an Ethnic and Ecological Interpretation (with M. Kaups, 1989), one of a handful of books that offer a truly original interpretation of the American identity; and The Human Mosaic: A Thematic Introduction to Cultural Geography (nine editions 1976-2003, with Mona Domosh and Lester Rowntree), a classic textbook. At the time of his death he had completed field research in sixty-five countries, reflected in books and journal articles focused on Australia, Siberia, and the European source regions of Texas folk culture. A book expressing his view of the discipline, My Kind of Geography, is forthcoming. Terry was elected President of the Association of American Geographers (1987-88) and also received the AAG Honors Award in 1982 and Distinguished Scholar Award from the AAG American Ethnic Geography Specialty Group. For many years he chaired the geography department at the University of North Texas before joining the Department of Geography at the University of Texas at Austin in 1982 as the Walter Prescott Webb Professor of History and Ideas. He received awards for his work from the Pioneer America Society, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Texas State Historical Association, Texas Heritage Council, American Association for State and Local History, and the Agricultural History Society. He was elected a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, and a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association. Sessions in Terry’s honor have been organized by his students for the 2004 AAG Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. In accordance with his family’s wishes, donations in Terry’s name may be may be made to the UT Department of Geography and sent to the Department of Geography, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712.

Terry Gilbert Jordan (Necrology). 2003. AAG Newsletter 38(11): 26.

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Carvile Earle

Carville Earle, former editor of the Annals of the Association of American Geographers and Carl O. Sauer Professor of Geography Emeritus at Louisiana State University, passed away 9 October 2003 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1942, Earle earned his B.S. from Townson State College in 1966, his M.A. from the University of Missouri in 1967, and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1973. He began his academic career near his home, teaching at Cantonsville Community College before taking an assistant professor position with the University of Maryland Baltimore County (1973-1977). He took a visiting position at the University of Wisconsin in 1977, before returning to Baltimore, where he remained until 1984. At that time, he accepted the post of Chair at Miami University in Ohio where he served until he took the same position at Louisiana State University in 1988. He was Chair until 1994 and remained as a professor at LSU until his retirement in 2003. A noted scholar, Earle had a prodigious publication record. His work appeared in numerous journal articles, book chapters, and other works. His landmark scholarly titles include Evolution of A Tidewater Settlement: All Hallow’s Parish Maryland, 1650-1783 (University of Chicago, Department of Geography, 1975), Geographical Inquiry and American Historical Problems (Stanford, 1992) and The American Way: A Geographical History of Crisis and Recovery (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003). He was also an accomplished editor, serving as the editor of Ohio Geographers and Historical Geography. Most notably, he edited the, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, flagship journal of the Association, from 1993 until 1996. His early work focused on the settlement of the American South and this provided an excellent fit at LSU. Throughout his career, his scholarship challenged standard historical interpretations and earned him recognition far beyond his peers in geography. Earle was a stalwart member in the Association of American Geographers, and from 1987 to 1990 he chaired the Historical Geography Specialty Group. During his tenure the specialty group brought in several world-class scholars from related disciplines and an editorial team under Carville’s leadership prepared the historical geography chapter for Geography in America (1989).

Carvile Earle (Necrology). 2003 AAG Newsletter 38(10): 19.

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Ruby Miller

Longtime AAG member Ruby Miller, of State College, PA died 7 October 2003. She was born in Templeton, PA, 16 August 1911. Miller attended Chatham College in Pittsburgh and earned her elementary teaching certification at Clarion University. She pursued graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh and later spent

eight years teaching school in western Pennsylvania. In 1941 she married geographer E. Willard “Will” Miller, who was married to her for 61 years. At the end of World War II the Millers moved to Penn State where Will started the Geography Department and Ruby became the map librarian. Ruby established and developed the library’s map collection and was instructor for courses on the use of maps. She retired in 1977, but remained active, co-authoring more than twenty books with her husband and traveling in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. For those wishing to make memorial contributions, please contact the Miller Geography Lectureships, Office of University Development, The Pennsylvania State University, One Old Main, University Park, PA 16802.

Ruby Miller (Necrology). 2003 AAG Newsletter 38(10): 19.

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Louis Seig

Louis “Lou” Seig, former editor of the Journal of Cultural Geography, passed away on 1 October 2003 at his home in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He was born 4 May 1931 in New York City.

Seig attended Louisiana State University where he earned his B.A. in 1954. Following graduation he entered the Air Force as an officer and served on active duty for two decades. He later returned to Louisiana State University for graduate study, earning his M.A. in 1961. During the 1960s he was assigned as a geography instructor to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. His performance at the Academy was such that in 1966 he was selected by the Air Force for graduate study. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1968.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Seig retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1974 and became chair of the Department of Geography at the University of Louisville. In 1978 that department named its Outstanding Undergraduate Geography Student Award in his honor. Following a series of career changes in the late 1970s and early 1980s he moved to New Mexico where he administered the research and development program in the state’s Energy and Minerals Department. In 1986 he joined the faculty of Oklahoma State University. Upon retirement in 1996 he assumed editorship of the Journal of Cultural Geography.

A longtime member of the AAG and staunch supporter of geography, he will be remembered for his service to the discipline. For those wishing to make memorial donations, please contact theDepartment of Geography, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-4073.

Louis Seig (Necrology). 2004. AAG Newsletter 39(1): 15.

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Terence Burke

Terence Burke, longtime professor and administrator at the University of Massachusetts, and associate to the president at the University of Arizona from 1982 until 1998, died 17 June 2003 at the age of 72. He is survived by his wife of 19 years, Philanne “Toppy” Burke, four children, and five grandchildren.

Born in Leicestershire, England, Burke received Smith-Mundt and Fulbright Awards to study historical geography at Clark University in Massachusetts. After earning his doctorate from the University of Birmingham, England, he served as a Flight Lieutenant with the Royal Air Force for four years before coming back to the United States to begin teaching as an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During his 20-year tenure at Amherst, he received many awards including the Distinguished Teacher Award, and was widely published. He eventually moved on to become associate to Henry Kofler, the Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts system, and in 1982, followed Dr. Koffler to the University of Arizona to act as associate to the president. He retired from this position in 1998.

A memorial service was held 23 June at the First United Methodist Church of Tucson, Arizona. Donations may be made in Dr. Burke’s honor to the American Red Cross or the Community Food Bank of Tucson.

Terence Burke (Necrology). 2003. AAG Newsletter 38 (8): 21

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John Mather

Age 79, a worldrenowned climatologist, ever-popular professor, mentor, and long-time chairman of the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware died Friday, 3 January 2003. He was a 40-year resident of Daretown, NJ. Dr. Mather began his career in climatology following his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1951. He was Professor of Climatology at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia from 1957-1960, and was president of C.W. Thornthwaite Associates/Laboratory of Climatology of Centerton, NJ from 1963- 1972. During this same time he became a professor of geography at the University of Delaware where he built, and for 25 years, chaired the geography department there, providing graduate training to several generations of the United States’ leading climatologists. He personally taught physical geography to more than 12,000 students in his thirty-five years at the university. During his distinguished career, Dr. Mather authored several books on applied climatology and water resources, and was U.S. editor on a joint U.S.- U.S.S.R. book on global change. He was president of the American Association of Geographers in 1991 and recipient of the Association’s Lifetime Achievement award in 1998, and the American Geographical Society’s Charles P. Daly Medal in 1999. He was Delaware’s State Climatologist for many years. Born in Boston, MA on 9 October 1923, son of Brigadier General John Mather and wife Mabelle. Dr. Mather was husband of the late Amy N. Mather of Daretown, and Sandra F. Mather of Avondale, PA, where he resided for the past 5 years. In addition to his wife Sandra, he is survived by his 3 children, Susan Brennan of Orlando, FL, Dr. Thomas Mather of Wakefield, RI, and Dr. Ellen Mihaich of Durham, NC, and 6 grandchildren; and a sister, Anne Jenkins, of Cotuit, MA. Besides teaching, Dr. Mather enjoyed many interests including watching football and spending summers on Cape Cod. He was a member of the Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church in Daretown, where he taught adult Sunday School for over 40 years. A memorial service celebrating the life of Dr. Mather was held at the Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church in Daretown, NJ at 3 pm on Saturday, 11 January 2003. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the John R. Mather Scholarship, Department of Geography, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 or the Russ and Amy Mather Sunday School Award at the Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church, 312 Daretown Rd., Elmer, NJ 08318.

John “Russ” Mather (Necrology). 2003. AAG Newsletter 38 (2): 20

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E. Willard Miller

E. Willard (Will) Miller, 87, the son of the late Archie H. and Tessie B. Master Miller, Turkey City, Pa, passed away 15 November 15 2002. He married Ruby Skinner (Miller) 27 June 27 1941, who survives.

Will received a B.S. degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 1937; an M.A. from the University of Nebraska in 1939; and a Ph.D. from Ohio State in 1942. He was a long time member of St. John’s United Church of Christ, Boalsburg, where he served on the consistory and financial committees.

E. Willard Miller will be remembered for many things: consummate adventurer, competent administrator, and engaging teacher, but three accomplishments stand out, he helped create the Association of American Geographers out of two rival organizations, he established the nation’s number one department of geography at Penn State, and he founded the Pennsylvania Geographical Society for public school teachers and Teachers Colleges, now Universities.

Will began his teaching career at Case Western University. In 1944, Will and Ruby were recruited as geographers by the Office of Strategic Services in Washington D.C. Will received an award of merit for his services in the war effort. In 1945, Dean Edward Steidle of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Penn State, recruited Will to be a member of the college, as head of the department of geography. In 1964, he was appointed Assistant Dean for Resident Instruction and in 1972 was named Associate Dean for Resident Instruction, a position he held until his retirement in 1980.

An avid explorer, Will conducted research projects in the Arctic and Alaska, Canada and Siberia, and undertook fieldwork in Central and South America as the U.S. representative to the Pan American Institute for Geography and History. Numerous travel grants and invitations supported his research on the mineral resources of the world.

A consummate scholar, Will wrote countless textbooks, bibliographies, and reference books, professional magazines and book chapters. He collaborated with his wife Ruby on more than 100 reference bibliographies. Key publications include The History of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, A History of the American Society for Professional Geographers, An Economic Atlas of Pennsylvania, A Social and Economic Atlas of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania: A Keystone to Progress. He also was the book editor for the Pennsylvania Academy of Science. Will received the Roy Hughes Whitbeck Award for the outstanding article in the field of economic geography in the Journal of Geography, 1950. In 2001, he received the George Miller Award of the National Council for Geographic Education as Distinguished Mentor for Graduate Level Education.

Will was an institution builder. At the end of World War II, the professional association of geographers, the Association of American Geographers (AAG), of which Will was a member, was research oriented and exclusive. As secretary and then president of the newly established and more inclusive American Society of Professional Geographers (ASPG), in 1948 Will oversaw the creation of a national organization representing all geographers through the amalgamation of the AAG and the ASPG. Concurrently, Will helped build the Department of Geography at Penn State. Will’s goal was nothing less than the creation of a world-class department. Emphasizing economic geography and research, the program expanded into graduate training with the first M.S. awarded in 1948 and the first Ph.D. awarded in 1949. In 1995, the National Research Council ranked Penn State’s Geography program number one in the nation. In 1952, Will founded the Pennsylvania Geographical Society (PGS), and in 1962 served as president of the society, remaining Permanent Counselor until his death. He served in many other professional capacities including Honorary Chair of the 21st Century Fund, National Council for Geographic Education.

Countless awards attest to his contributions to society. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Explorers Club, and received numerous citations for meritorious service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from the Governor, and others. He was the President of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Academy for his contributions. Will and Ruby were awarded the Honorary Alumni award from Penn State, and Will received the Distinguished Alumnus award from Clarion University. Will also received honorary doctorates from Clarion University and the Ohio State University. Professionally, Will received the Honors Award from the AAG, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the PGS, and the Founder’s Award of Penn State’s Department of Geography.

The Millers established fellowships and awards for undergraduate and graduate students at the Clarion, Ohio State, and Pennsylvania State Universities. Will and Ruby also were contributing members of: the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Obelisk Society; the Mount Nittany and Atherton Societies of Penn State; the Galileo Society (American Geographical Society); and the President’s Club at Penn State and Ohio State Universities. They also belonged to the Centre County Historical Society, Boalsburg Village Conservancy, Centre Community Hospital Auxiliary, and the Boalsburg Heritage Museum. Will is survived by his wife of 61 years, Ruby S. Miller and two nieces Jane Hemmings of Chicago and Bernice Krapf of Myrtle Beach. Burial was in the Mausoleum at the Centre County Memorial Cemetery, State College, Pennsylvania, Rev. Allen Heckman officiated and Koch Funeral Home presided. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the E. Willard (Will) Miller Scholarship Fund, Penn State Development Office, One Old Main, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. 16802.

Originally published in the Centre Daily Times, 25 November 2002.

Willard E Miller (Necrology). 2003. AAG Newsletter 38(1): 16

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Bilal Ahmad

Bilal Ahmad died at home in Iowa City, Iowa, the morning of September 1, 2002, sixteen months after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Ahmad earned his graduate degree from the University of Liverpool in England, then taught at the University of Karachi in Pakistan before moving to the University of Iowa.

Bilal Ahmad (Necrology). 2004. AAG Newsletter 39(8): 25.

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