John D. Nystuen

Professor John D. Nystuen, Ph.D., 91, of Ann Arbor Michigan, passed away on July 2, 2022 at his long-time home on Olivia Avenue in Ann Arbor.

After graduating from Oroville High School in Northern California in 1948 he moved to Berkeley and the University of California, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography in 1953. Immediately after graduating, he finished ROTC training as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Artillery, serving two years at Misawa Airbase in Northern Japan. In 1955 he earned a Master’s degree and Doctorate in Geography from the University of Washington in Seattle. John’s professional career began in 1959 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in the Department of Geography, and later he worked in the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. John educated a world of doctoral students. He was the chair for more than 70 Ph.D. students from around the globe. Many of his students comment on how much they learned from him and how supportive and caring they found him to be in their intellectual development. Indeed, Gwen notes how John often said that he had learned a lot from his students, as well. He was a master of the one-on-one educational experience. He implemented his belief in interactive educational interchange long before it became fashionable.

John was a leader not only in the mentoring arena but also in the research arena. As one of the first ‘space cadets’ in the quantitative revolution in geography, originated at the University of Washington in Seattle, John retained a lifelong curiosity not only about traditional geographic inquiry but also about the role of the geographer in studying evolving dynamical systems as applied both on the Earth and in the heavens above.

He published numerous books and articles with citations available in major citation indexing services. Many of his publications are archived in Deep Blue, the online persistent digital repository of The University of Michigan. He served in advisory capacities on academic boards specific to mathematical geography (first on that of the Michigan Interuniversity Community of Mathematical Geographers and subsequently on that of the Institute of Mathematical Geography).

In the early 1960s John and Gwen, his wife, met with the seven Sierra Club members who lived in Ann Arbor (out of the 40 who lived in Michigan). They began meeting regularly, going on outings, and working on conservation issues. John was active in recruiting students and faculty from his and related departments. By 1967 they had a large enough membership to become a local Sierra Club group and ultimately formed the state chapter in Michigan. Over the succeeding years, John continued his work on local and state issues — contributing to our local Natural Features Inventory and supporting Gwen in an amphibian survey in local ponds. John also contributed his photography and sketching skills to many local conservation efforts.

John is survived by his wife of 67 years, Gwen Nystuen, and their daughter, Dr. Leslie Ann Nystuen, M.D. [Peter Leopold], sister-in-law Gaile Hoffman [Augustus] of Oakland, California, and nieces and nephews in California, Washington, New Mexico, Canada and Australia.