Phillip Bacon

1922 - 2010

Phillip Bacon died recently at the age of 88. Bacon attended the University of Miami, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree 1946. He earned his MA at George Peabody College (1951) and an ED .D. from Vanderbilt University (1955). He attended The Citadel prior to service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After his discharge he served at the University of Houston; the University of Washington; and Teachers College, Columbia University. Throughout his career he was keenly interested in the pedagogies of geography, which led to his editing and/or writing of 51 books largely for grade schools. Bacon worked vigorously with the National Council of Geographic Education (NCGE). He became president of NCGE and in 1974 received its Distinguished Service Award. Bacon also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University. Amidst the travail of war he developed a fond appreciation of the Pacific realm. Bacon’s particular disciplinal interest resided in the region, which he felt was of universal significance to the geographer. The many books he authored include North America: Golden Book Atlas of the World (1960); The Earth and Its People (1972); Regions around the World (1972); and The United States: Its History and Neighbors (1991). He was a member of the editorial advisory board of World Book Encyclopedia for twenty years, a Fellow of both the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, and a consultant to NASA (Johnson Space Center) concerning wheat growth and its limits in the Soviet Union.

Phillip Bacon (Necrology). 2010. AAG Newsletter 45(10): 22.

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