Jay W. Feuquay (49) died Monday, June 12, 2006, of pancreatic cancer, at Reston
Hospital in Reston, Virginia. Fuequay was director of the Land Remote Sensing
program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). He had a distinguished career
at the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center of the USGS for more
than 20 years. In 2002, he became the first Program Coordinator for U.S. Land
Remote Sensing for the Survey.
Feuquay frequently lobbied for Landsat funding, which led to the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, as well as ongoing discussions by a working group at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy that is examining the program’s future. His specific accomplishments included working collaboratively with the White House, Congress, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration and other federal agencies to further the science and technology of Landsat and other remote sensing systems; as well as working with U.S. Department of Interior officials to redefine the purposes of U.S. land remote sensing and using advanced systems technologies to further the department’s interest in land management.
Known by his colleagues as having a quick wit, and a love for golf, cooking and travel, Fuequay lead with his creativity, friendship and caring regard, all those whom he touched and inspired them to achieve the aims to which his career and his life were dedicated.
Feuquay is survived by his wife Connie Rukes Feuquay, his children Meredith and Jason, his mother Norma Lea Feuquay; and his brothers Michael and Steven.
Lt. Col. Abraham Anson (94),ASPRS
Potomac Region Emeritus Historian,
passed away May 29, 2005, of a massive
heart attack. A longtime member
of ASPRS, Anson received the ASPRS
Fellow award in 1997 for his unselfish
contribution to the science and the Society
as Associate Editor for both the
Manual of Color Aerial Photography and
the first edition of the Manual of Remote
Sensing, and editor of the Proceedings
of the Aerial Photography Workshop
for the Plant Sciences, as well as many other key literary contributions.
Similarly, he has many noteworthy earlier contributions
which include examining the impact of supersonic air platforms in
aerial photo acquisition, the development of the auto mosaicer, the
design of the multiband camera for the Apollo Moon Lander, and
others. Anson is survived by his daughter, Myra Anson Nicholas.
Maurice Keyes Kurtz, Jr. (77), died peacefully
at home in Satellite Beach, Florida
on Friday, May 20, 2005, with his family
around him. Born June 4, 1927 at Ft. Sill,
Oklahoma, Kurtz grew up as an Army
brat, moving from post to post. His father
took him tank riding and taught him
how to spot ammunition duds. Kurtz,
known as “Monk” to many friends and“
Daddy” to his three kids, led a wonderfully
rich, full life professionally and personally.
At 18, he entered the United
States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1949. He later
earned a master’s degree from the University of Illinois and a doctorate
from Purdue University. After a 28-year military career, he
retired as a colonel and settled in Satellite Beach Florida, where he
became a professor of civil engineering at Florida Institute of Technology
in Melbourne. During retirement, Kurtz pursued his passion
for genealogy, became a mentor to others, and enjoyed quality time
with friends and family. He lived with Parkinsons disease for 12
years with remarkable strength, courage, and grace. He leaves a
family who will always love him very much: Barbara, his wife of 52
years; his son, Maurice III of St. Petersburg, Florida his daughters,
Rosalie Peterson of Aurora, Ohio and Roxanne of Medford, Massachusetts;
and four grandchildren, Susan, Karen and Michael Peterson
and Jennifer Kurtz.
William R. Allder
William R. Allder Jr., 55, director
of strategic transformation
with the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency died of a
heart attack May 7 at Inova Fair
Oaks Hospital. Throughout his
33-year career Allder helped
transform the government’s
mapping agency from a paper
world to the digital age. His responsibilities included
leading the agency’s efforts to stay on the
cutting edge of mapping and imagery technology.
He was preparing to move into private industry at
the time of his death.
Allder directed the development and deployment of large, complex, geospatial intelligence systems worldwide. Over the years, he developed systems that enhanced the nation’s ability to provide geographical information and images from a satellite to a plane’s cockpit or a ship’s bridge or from a soldier’s foxhole to a policymaker’s desk.
Throughout his career, Allder had been a part of the defense, intelligence and civilian mapping and imagery communities. He worked with the National Ocean Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Defense Mapping Agency, the Central Imagery Office, and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. In the early 1980s Allder developed software that helped officials predict costs and manage schedules for major projects. He was recognized for his expertise in systems engineering, development and integration. He received the Department of Defense’s Presidential Rank Award in 1999, which noted his ability to assemble and motivate diverse, high-performing teams. He twice received the Distinguished Executive award, in 2001 and 1999.
Allder was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from High Point High School in Beltsville. He graduated from Duke University in North Carolina and married his high school sweetheart. He was a devoted Duke Blue Devils fan and loved college basketball, golf, and a fine malt scotch. On the day he died, Allder completed 18 holes of golf and was having lunch at the International Golf and Country Club in Fairfax when he had a heart attack. Survivors include his wife, Susan Allder of Sterling, Virginia, and two children, William R. Allder III and Jacquelyn Allder, both of Sterling; two sisters, Bette Rutherford and Jacquelyn Allder, and a brother, Bill DuBois.
This text was adapted from an article by Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb, Washington Post Staff Writer, The Washington Post, Thursday, May 12, 2005, Page B07.
Robert N. Colwell
1918 — 2005
by Cyril Manning*
Dr. Robert Neil Colwell (87), professor emeritus of
Forestry at the University of California (UC), Berkeley,
a pioneer in the field of remote sensing, and a
long-time member of the American Society for Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), died on
April 14, 2005.
Over the course of more than half a century, Colwell developed a reputation as one of the world’s most respected leaders in remote sensing, a field he stewarded from the interpretation of aerial photographs during World War II, to the advanced acquisition and analysis of many types of geospatial data from military and civilian satellite platforms. His career included nearly 40 years of teaching and research at UC Berkeley, a distinguished record of military service, and prominent roles both in private industry and as a consultant for many U.S. and international agencies.
A native of Star, Idaho, Colwell entered UC Berkeley as a 16-year-old freshman, earning a BS in forestry in 1938, and a PhD in plant physiology at UC Berkeley in 1942. Shortly thereafter, he was commissioned in the U.S. Navy, where he was an air combat intelligence officer for the invasion and capture of Guadalcanal, a chief instructor of the Navy’s Photo Intelligence School in Washington, D.C., and finally, chief of photo intelligence for the planning and execution of the Okinawa Campaign. At the end of the war, Colwell was placed in charge of the Navy’s training programs in photo interpretation and photogrammetry.
In 1947, Colwell was appointed to the faculty of the UC Berkeley School of Forestry, where his focus on photographic interpretation later evolved into a program in remote sensing. His accomplishments included development of aerial photography methods to identify tropical vegetation, determine water depth, and measure the prevalence of diseases in agricultural crops.
In the 1950s, Colwell performed some of the first experiments using multiband aerial photographs and in the 1960s he pioneered new methods of satellite photography and reconnaissance. He intuitively grasped that multispectral imaging would forever change human ability to observe and map the Earth.“ Just as our musical appreciation is increased greatly when more than one or two octaves are exploited,” Colwell wrote in a 1961 American Scientist article,“ so also is our appreciation of the physical universe, through multiband spectral reconnaissance, which already can exploit more than forty ‘octaves’.” Colwell was a voracious writer, authoring more than 400 scientific and professional articles and editing the two definitive references in his field: The ASPRS Manual of Photographic Interpretation (1960) and The ASPRS Manual of Remote Sensing, Second Edition (1983).
Colwell was a catalyst for the development of remote sensing techniques during his service as associate director of the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory from 1969 to 1983. In addition, in 1969 he played a key role at the NASAUSDA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration - United States Department of Agriculture) funded Forestry Remote Sensing Laboratory, where he led the Apollo 9 “Special Experiment No. 065,” a multiband photographic experiment that was among the highlights of his research career. He went on to play an instrumental role in the launch of NASA’s first Earth Resources Technology Satellite, later renamed Landsat 1, which almost immediately revolutionized the fields of cartography, forestry, geology and land use.
Despite his other obligations, Colwell continued to serve in the Naval Reserve, working in photographic intelligence during the Korean and Vietnam wars and on other special assignments over the years. In 1974, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and became the first director of the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program, a position he held until 1977. Among Colwell’s military awards were the Bronze Star, the Navy Commendation Medal, and two Presidential Unit Citations. In 1972, he received the Congressional Commendation Award, and in 1977, he was awarded the Legion of Merit by President Jimmy Carter.
In the private sector, Colwell’s research in multispectral analysis provided a key asset in the early days of Earth Satellite Corporation, where he had a lead role in acquiring radar imagery to map, for the first time, 6 million square acres of the Amazon Basin.“ Many people were talking about these new technologies,” said Robert Porter, founder and former chairman of the company, “but Bob concentrated on getting out there and doing it.”
In June 1986, Colwell headed the U.S. delegation for a Vatican study, “Uses of Photo Interpretation and Remote Sensing to Help People in Developing Countries.” This culminated in an audience with Pope John Paul II. The study recommendations were adopted by the Vatican and by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Colwell’s global reach in remote sensing research also extended to Australia where he collaborated in research activities with the Rangeland Unit of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
During the first part of his career, Colwell served as director of the UC Berkeley Forestry Summer Camp and was known as “Bullet Bob” for his habit of leading full-speed student hikes, a style of leadership that spanned his career. “Bob set a rigorous pace for everyone, but he didn’t leave people behind. If you were a part of his team, you were inspired to keep up,” said Robin Welch, a 1949 summer camp student of Colwell’s who went on to become a colleague and lifelong friend.
Later in Colwell’s career, that same ceaseless energy allowed him to balance the many facets of his career with the needs of his students. “Bob would often take a red-eye to Washington, D.C., work for a full day for NASA, the U.S. Forest Service, or the Central Intelligence Agency, and then fly back that night to meet with his 8 a.m. class,” said Welch.
Colwell was widely known among UC Berkeley students for his commitment to teaching.“ He really looked after his people and was concerned about their welfare,” said UC Berkeley Professor Dennis Teeguarden, once a student of Colwell’s and later chair of the forestry department. “Bob was a true mentor in all respects.”
Colwell retired from the UC in 1983, but continued his work on the board of directors of Earth Satellite Corporation and as a private consultant. Over the years, Colwell’s legacy to the field of remote sensing was punctuated by a legion of graduate students who continue to this day to make contributions to the field of remote sensing, and numerous honors such as the William T. Pecora Award in 1977 from NASA and the Department of the Interior, and the Berkeley Citation in 1983. Colwell also won the Talbert Abrams Award in 1954, the Fairchild Award in 1956, the Photographic Interpretation Award in 1963, the Alan Gordon Memorial Award in 1984, three Presidential Citations in 1966, 1976, and 1984, and the Fellows Award in 1992, all from ASPRS. He also had the distinction of being one of the 25 ASPRS Honorary Members, chosen from among the organization’s 6,000 members. Having been selected for this elite group in 1964, Colwell was an ASPRS Honorary Member for more than 40 years—longer than any of the other 24 honorees.
In his private life, Colwell was an active member of the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church and an avid trout fisherman.
Colwell married Betty Louise Larson in April 1942. Their marriage lasted 57 years, until Betty’s death in 2000. He is survived by their four children, Arthur Colwell of Lakeport, California, John Colwell of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Nancy Colwell Coronado of Benicia, California, and Robert R. Colwell, of Vienna, Virginia, and seven grandchildren.
* Includes edits by Donald T. Lauer and David M. Carneggie
|
Jon Stanton Beazley, 89, a retired professional engineer and certified photogrammetrist, died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2005.
Born in Social Circle, Georgia to Abigail Stanton and Reuben Rogers Beazley, Jon Beazley was raised in Madison, Georgia. The Depression interrupted his college attendance after one year, but he continued his studies in civil engineering mainly through independent study. During World War II, he served in India as a warrant officer with the Army Corps of Engineers in the China-Burma-India Theater, where his unit made aerial photographic maps for the Army and the Allies. Through his leadership and tireless efforts to his profession, he produced exemplary accomplishments that have contributed greatly to the development and implementation of techniques in surveying, mapping and photogrammetry. In 1946, Beazley began working for the Florida State Road Department, later known as the Department of Transportation, forming what would become the Photogrammetric Division of the department. During his 33 years as Florida state topographic engineer, he created one of the most efficient topographic/aerial survey units in the U.S. He also held a U.S. patent for a stereoscopic plotting instrument. He led and nurtured the state’s mapping, surveying and photogrammetric efforts, including working with NASA and others to pioneer Florida’s use of satellite imagery in these fields. In 1979, he retired from the Department of Transportation to devote his attention to his consulting engineering practice.
Over the years, he worked with and was honored by local, state and national professional societies. In 1981, he was awarded Engineer of the Year by the Florida Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. In 1987, the ASCE awarded him honorary membership as one of 12 civil engineers across the U.S. who were recognized that year for outstanding life achievement. He was the first civil-engineer recipient of that award in the field of photogrammetry. Beazley served as the first National Director from the ASPRS Florida Region, followed by Charles Andregg. In 1990, the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing chose him as an honorary member. He was a Paul Harris Fellow member of the Tallahassee Rotary Club. He served as president of the North Florida Chapter of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and as commodore of the St. Marks Yacht Club.
Beazley is survived by his wife of 63 years, Hazel Beazley. Other survivors include three daughters, Hayley Gowan (and husband Dave) of Tallahassee, Teresa Widmer of Fort Lauderdale and Abigail Chilldon of Tampa; a son, Stanton Beazley (and wife Evie) of Tallahassee; and four grandchildren, Anne and Jessica Chilldon and Jack and Robert Beazley. He was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Jeff Chilldon.
Michel T. “Mike” Halbouty, 95, died November 6, 2004 of cancer at St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. A pioneer in developing satellite land remote sensing applications for oil and gas exploration, Halbouty was an internationally recognized geologist, a benefactor of his alma mater, Texas A&M University, and the author of four books and more than 300 articles on geology and petroleum engineering. The “Halbouty Committee,” appointed by President Ronald Reagan, provided the impetuous for the commercialization of Landsat and the ultimate licensing of private remote sensing satellites.
Born in Beaumont, Texas, Halbouty came of age with the Texas oil industry. His parents were Lebanese immigrants. The second of six children, he helped his family make ends meet by taking numerous odd jobs, including carrying water to the rigs in the Spindletop oil field during its second boom in 1925. He put himself through Texas A&M, earning degrees in geology and petroleum engineering in 1930 and 1931, then took a job with a Beaumont survey crew. He was 22 when he made his first discovery, at a tiny coastal community between Houston and Beaumont called High Island. He went on to work for McCarthy as general manager and vice president of McCarthy Interests from 1935 until1937 when he left to go into business for himself.
During World War II, Halbouty served as an infantry officer in the Army and in 1945 became chief of the petroleum production section of the Army-Navy Petroleum Board. After the war, he resumed wildcatting, and in true wildcatter fashion he made fortunes, lost them and made them again several times.
In 1976, Halbouty was one of the founding Directors and was instrumental in the organization of The Geosat Committee, Inc., an industry group which collaborates with NASA to promote the use of Landsat data, and served as its first Chairman. In 1977, The Department of the Interior and NASA recognized his untiring support of the Landsat Program by awarding him one of its highest honors, the William T. Pecora Award.
Still working into his nineties, Halbouty moved among Houston’s high society. In June, some of the city’s most prominent citizens helped him celebrate his 95th birthday.
A major Texas A&M benefactor, he is credited with persuading former president George H.W. Bush to locate his presidential library on the university campus at College Station. Survivors include his wife and two children.
Dr.
Janette (Jan) C. Gervin
July 1, 1947 - May 4, 2004
Dr. Janette C. Gervin (56) passed away on May 4, 2004. She had been an active member since joining ASPRS in 1976. Gervin served the Society in many capacities, including as Assistant Division Director for the Remote Sensing Applications Division (RSAD) for 1998-1999, and as the Division Director for 1999-2000. She was particularly active in promoting RSAD at National conventions, sponsoring four special sessions at the Washington, D.C. conference in 2000 and five special sessions at the St. Louis conference in 2001. She was Technical Program Chair for the DC 2000 ASPRS Annual Conference, managing nearly 100 sessions and over 300 papers for one of ASPRS’ largest and best conventions ever. She was currently serving as the Conference Chair for the 2005 ASPRS Annual Conference.
For ASPRS Regions, Gervin served as Newsletter Editor in the Florida Region; Chairman of the Hydrospheric Sciences Committee; and Secretary, Vice President, President and Past President of the Potomac Region. During her tenure as an Officer in the Potomac Region (1993-1997), she promoted communication and networking among members through strong support of the Newsletter, expansion of the Region’s technical tours and annual technical conferences, close cooperation with ASPRS National, and increased support of ASPRS National conferences and conventions, including DC 2000 hosted by the Potomac Region.
Professionally, Gervin has been a remote sensing manager and research scientist with NASA for over 30 years, holding positions of increasing responsibility at Goddard Space Flight Center and Kennedy Space Center. Her most recent position was as Project Formulation Manager for GSFC’s Global Carbon Cycle Plan, a multi-mission program which will examine the seasonal, interannual and geographic distribution of carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and on land. Previously she oversaw the development, delivery and launch of MOPITT (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere), one of five instruments on the first Earth Observing System (EOS) platform Terra. She was Instruments Manager for the EOS Atmospheric Chemistry Program at NASA Headquarters, managing the definition and development of instruments on the third EOS platform Aura. She also oversaw the development and delivery of the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on SOHO.
Gervin served on the Space Station Task Force at NASA Headquarters, as the Earth Sciences Representative to the Space Station Program Office at Johnson Space Center, and as Science Advocate and later Manager for the Attached Payloads Accommodation Equipment on the manned Space Station. As a science program manager in the Hydrological Sciences Branch and Eastern Regional Remote Sensing Applications Center at Goddard, she designed, developed and managed remote sensing research and applications projects with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and the states of Delaware, Virginia, and Illinois in suburban land use, flood mitigation, wetland mapping, and forest management.
Gervin’s research interests concentrated on analysis of Landsat MSS and TM data, and most recently high resolution aircraft data, presenting and publishing many scientific papers. She received a BA in physics with general honors from Bucknell University (1969); a master’s in physics from the University of Florida (1971); and, PhD in engineering, specializing in Remote Sensing Hydrology, from the University of Maryland (1992). She has been elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Sigma Xi, and has been the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the US Space Foundation Award for her work in analyzing medical imagery. In addition to ASPRS, she was a member of IEEE and AGU.
J. Alfred (Al) Stringham
J. Alfred (Al) Stringham of Landcare Aviation, Inc. (LAI) died suddenly on February 2, 2004 in New Hartford, New York. Al is survived by his wife of 48 years, Beverly (Bev), one brother, two sisters, five children and six grandchildren. Al was an emeritus member of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, which he joined in 1969. Al was president and founder of LAI and operated over 20 specially equipped airplanes to collect low altitude imagery for various remote sensing applications. LAI became a sustaining member of the Society in September 1997.
Al was born in China and lived there with his missionary parents, James and Charlotte Stringham, until 1942 when they returned home to Canandaigua, New York. He attended the College of Forestry at Syracuse University and received a degree in Forest Resource Management in 1957.
He began his career at the Rome Air Development Center (RADC), Griffiss Air Force Base (GAFB) in Rome, New York. One of RADC’s functions was to conduct research and development in aerial reconnaissance. Al’s first project was to develop a prototype mobile image interpretation system that subsequently matured into a major Air Force acquisition program.
In 1961, Al started research with multisensor systems that used nine lenses on a conventional nine inch mapping camera, plus a bank of four 70 mm cameras. Each lens and camera had a special narrow band optical filter. This pioneering effort in multispectral collection established the foundation for today’s hyperspectral systems. Exploitation techniques were developed for the detection of military targets and other applications of national interest, such as illegal crops.
Al was promoted to Branch Chief at RADC and was the inspiration behind many innovations in remote sensing. Modifications were made to existing imaging sensors and film-based cameras for testing in RADC flight test aircraft. His Branch also developed advanced image exploitation techniques, and participated in the testing of improved imaging sensors being developed by the Air Force (AF) and other services. He realized the critical importance of specialized training, both for “photo interpreters (PIs),” as imagery analysts were known at that time, and sensor systems maintenance personnel.
To advance this goal, Al advocated the development of Sensor Exploitation Manuals (SEMs) for new sensors and established an Air Force SEM standard specification.
During the Vietnam War, Al managed several projects involving low altitude reconnaissance and the exploitation of newly developed infrared line scanners, conventional imaging radar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). As these new reconnaissance systems evolved, Al was a major driver in attempting to speed the process of getting imagery into the hands of the war fighter. He conducted the first real-time demonstration of the airborne collection, transmission and exploitation of radar imagery to a ground processing system at GAFB. This revolutionary achievement introduced a new reconnaissance concept to the military and formed the basis for today’s battlefield reconnaissance systems.
Al assembled a joint RADC-contractor team, which supported the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing on-site at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, South Vietnam, for almost four years. This “Dark Eagle,” and later “Compass Eagle,” team analyzed the performance of both operational reconnaissance systems, as well as research and development systems that were being flown operationally. He introduced real-time reconnaissance to the AF by mounting an infrared system in an RB-57 aircraft and displaying the imagery in the cockpit for in flight target detection, by the navigator. Al’s team pioneered the use of SAR for bomb damage assessment in the Vietnam Theater. Under his guidance work in high altitude infrared reconnaissance for strategic applications was conducted using unique scanners flown in the RB-57 aircraft.
He established the Underbrush reconnaissance sensor test range at Eglin AFB, Florida, where developmental imaging systems could be tested. The range provided simulated Vietnam target situations to assist in the formulation of advanced exploitation techniques. Al expanded the sensor test range concept to Upstate New York, to replicate Central European situations, for reconnaissance imaging sensors against simulated cold war targets.
Al was the driving force behind a demonstration program to directly link data from a U-2 radar to the ground at GAFB. Real-time data was fed into a film-based radar optical correlator-processor, converting the video phase history into a film image for the Modular Change Detection system, automatically highlighting changes. This was the first demonstration of a practical near-real-time delivery of a sensor product to the warfighter. This concept evolved into a whole family of operational systems including the RF-4C, the U-2, SR-71 and today’s Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle using advanced SAR. In addition, Al supported the development and test of other advanced SAR exploitation technologies, to include “Foliage Penetration” (FOPEN) systems.
Al pioneered close cooperation in aerial reconnaissance research between the AF, the federal and state government and private industry by forming the Rome Reconnaissance Association (RRA). The RRA was an early example of “technology transfer”, whereby military capabilities were applied to commercial applications. The RRA applied imaging sensors and techniques to assess storm damage and monitor water pollution. Technical exchanges were held and joint projects undertaken; as an example, Al led an effort to apply remote sensing capabilities to military and civilian search and rescue efforts. During one intensive search effort for an eight -year old boy, who had apparently wandered off in the Adirondack Mountains, missions were flown on RADC aircraft using standard color and near-IR films and an infrared line scanner. Another search involved an Air Force pilot who had bailed out of a crippled fighter jet.
In 1974, Al left the government to pursue his life long love of farming. He and his family moved to Boonville, NY on the edge of the Adirondack Mountains, acquired two farms and incorporated as Land Care Inc. His interest in aerial reconnaissance continued and during the 1980 Olympics, Land Care processed and sold Landsat images of the Lake Placid region. He partnered with Bill Partridge to use LORAN to collect low altitude, small format (35mm) images with desired overlap and sidelap for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to monitor crop compliance. In 1986 he worked with Joe Breda to develop the LORAN-ACCUPHOTO system by integrating LORAN with a Laptop computer. Now aerial images could be collected at a desired location and coverage plots could be produced. Al sold his dairy business in 1987 and worked with LaFave, White and McGivern, an aerial mapping firm, while still pursuing his interest in low altitude, small format reconnaissance.
In 1992 he formed Landcare Aviation Inc. (LAI). The ACCUPHOTO system was upgraded using GPS for improved accuracy and system flexibility. This technology was transferred to Genisys Comm, Inc. (now Genisys Inc. R&D of Utica, NY) who further developed and marketed the GPS-ACCUPHOTO worldwide. Then LAI teamed with the Qualex PhotoCD Group (later to become DIGIX IMAGING) to record coverage of 20 upstate New York counties on PhotoCD. At the time this was largest collection of aerial images on PhotoCDs in the world. LAI’s early efforts used low altitude, small format aerial reconnaissance to collect imagery of Oneida County for 911 applications, New York City Metropolitan Traffic Council for traffic surveys and photo coverage in support of USDA’s crop compliance monitoring program.
LAI operations grew steadily and in 1996 ten aircraft and crews were simultaneously operating in four states. During 1999 LAI aircraft covered projects in 45 states including Hawaii. All aircraft were owned or exclusively leased by LAI and all crews were LAI employees. Each aircraft was equipped with a laptop with flight management software. After collection, digital imagery on a CD was sent overnight to a processing site for next day delivery to the customer. During 2003, 22 aircraft and crews were operating in 25 states.
LAI’s applications were many and unique. In December 1996, LAI teamed with EMERGE on a precision agriculture application to operate eight Cessna 172 aircraft and two twin engine Piper Aztecs equipped with LITTON/ EMERGE digital aerial imaging systems. This system uses color or color infrared digital aerial images to produce products, which are geo-referenced, rectified, and mosaicked. During February of 1997, LAI worked with NASA to collect aerial film using the GPSACCUPHOTO system, coincident with an ER- 2 overflight. The ER-2 is an updated version of the U-2 plane. Over the past 14 years LAI has flown aerial photography for the USDA’s Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, covering 28 counties in New York State in 1995; rising to 34 counties in New York State, 7 counties in Pennsylvania, and 5 counties in Vermont by 1996. LAI has flown for the New York Power Authority. Applications include power line right-of-way, vegetation assessment and management. Al’s low altitude, small format system provided the first imagery of the World Trade Center after the 9-ll terrorist attack for our First Responders.
Al’s futuristic foresight in reconnaissance technology and applications formed the basis of many revolutionary military and commercial systems. His dedication and energy ensured the timely implementation and testing of these systems to support vital military and commercial information needs. His family, friends, and the entire remote sensing community sorely miss his energy and expertise.
Mehdi Azali
On Saturday, May 15, 2004, Mehdi Azali, 35, of Lakewood, Ohio died when the twin-engine Cessna 310 he was flying went down at about 5:35 a.m. on railroad tracks. The plane had just taken off from the Willoughby, Ohio Lost Nation Municipal Airport headed for Dayton when the plane apparently developed a mechanical problem. Azali was an employee of ASPRS Sustaining Member Kucera International Inc., an aerial mapping company.
Merle Peter Meyer
February 11, 1920 to April 17, 2004
Merle Peter Meyer (84), born February 11, 1920 in Eldridge, Iowa, passed away on April 17, 2004. Meyer began his career with the CCC in the Superior National Forest, 1937-1940. From there, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940, where he rose from private to captain. He served in China with the Flying Tigers and was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation and the Order of the Flying Cloud. After his military service, Meyer enrolled in school and received a BS degree in forestry and wildlife management at the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and PhD at the University of Minnesota. From 1952-1985, he moved through the ranks from instructor to professor at the University of Minnesota, College of Forestry (now Natural Resources), and became Director of the University’s Remote Sensing Laboratory, which was established in 1972. In 1956, Delaine (Dee) Redmann and Meyer were married and lived in Shoreview, Minnesota where they had two daughters, Leslie and Andrea.
Meyer had periodic assignments as a Fulbright Lecturer in Norway, Finland, and Poland and as the United Nations Technical Advisor in Central and South America, Africa, the Dominican Republic and twice in the Peoples Republic of China (Panda Bear Habitat Project). In 1968, Meyer received the Horace T. Morse – University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. In 1984 he was elected a fellow of the Society of American Foresters. He was an Emeritus member of ASPRS, having joined the Society in 1953, and in 1999 he was named an ASPRS Fellow. Meyer was an avid fisherman, hunter, and cross country skier, and was proud to have completed 10 American Birkebeiners along with many other races. In addition, he was chairman of the Buildings and Grounds Committee at 1666 Coffman, where Dee and Meyer have lived for the past 14 years.
He is survived by his wife Dee, daughters Leslie (John Gladman), Andrea and two grandsons, Nicholas and Anders Kemppainen, and a niece Pam Kelly of Sacramento, California. It is preferred that any memorial contributions be sent to the Merle P. Meyer Fellowship in Forest Resources, Shepard of the Hills Lutheran Church, or 1666 Coffman Condominiums Memorial Fund.
Kenneth
J. Osborn
Osborn Osborn’s love for surveying and mapping (“all things geospatial”) will be honored and perpetuated in the form of a scholarship for students who are seeking to enter the profession. ASPRS will manage the Osborn Memorial Scholarship Award for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The Award will be presented annually to recognize a student’s academic achievements in geospatial science, information, and technology, as well as, their activities demonstrating skill in communications and collaboration— personal attributes that Osborn demonstrated so very well. The Northern California Region of ASPRS will administer the selection process for the Award. The Region expects to give the award for the first time in 2005. Those wishing to contribute to Osborn’s scholarship fund, should send them to: American Society for Photogrammetry |
Kenneth J. Osborn (51), chief, U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) Southwest Geographic Science Team in Sacramento passed away
on Saturday, March 6, 2004, from complications of a recent stroke
and heart attack. Osborn attended junior college in Hayward, California,
and then began his Federal service with the U.S. Air Force in March
1972, during the Vietnam War. He served in Hawaii in communications
where he worked as a cryptographer and later as a weapons systems &reconnaissance
officer.In November1975, Osborn accepted a position with the U.S.
Geological Survey, Topographic Division in Menlo Park, California.
Osborn’s career highlights include high visibility topographic
field engineering and mapping projects, such as the Mt. Saint Helens
pre and post eruption surveys; Terrain Studies on the Nevada Test
Site; The Great Salt Lake Flooding and the West Desert Pumping Projects.
Management positions held with the USGS have included: USGS Liaison
to the USDA Forest Service; Chief of Mapping Operations at the USGS
Rocky Mountain Mapping Center; Department of the Interior and USGS
Program Chief for U.S.- Mexico Imagery and Mapping Program; USGS
National Elevation Program Manager;USGS Program Manager for Homeland
Security 133 Urban Areas Mapping Program, and until his death, as
the Chief, Southwest Geographic Science Team in Sacramento. Osborn
was also directly responsible for authoring an historic aerial photography
and mapping agreement with Mexico, as the Department of the Interior
and USGS representative for mapping. This agreement was signed by
Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Osborn in Mexico City
during the 1996 Bi-National Committee Meetings. In recognition of
this endeavor, Osborn was given a Special Achievement Award by Secretary
Babbitt for his outstanding efforts and accomplishments. A member
of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)since
2000, Osborn was the co-chair of the DEM specialty conferences held
in 2001 and 2003that were sponsored by ASPRS and the Management Association
for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS). His work on both conferences
contributed much to their success and the high quality of program
presented. A member in good standing of the Jackson Elks No. 2426,
Osborn attended St. Marks Methodist Church in Sacramento. Early in
Osborn’s career, he also served as a member of the Josephine
County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Team as a certified
river rescue scuba diver and marine deputy. He was an avid hunter
and fisherman who also loved photography. Osborn is survived by his
parents, Robert J. and Lola S. Osborn; and his three children,daughter
Lisa Marie Gavino, son, Evan Lloyd Osborn, and daughter Julie Anne
Osborn; son-in-law Jason Gavino; grandson Tristan Angelo Gavino;
and sisters Melissa Elaine Vagujhelyiand Roberta J. Trumm. A celebration
of Osborn’s life took place on Saturday, March 13, 2004,at
Calvary Chapel in Pine Grove, California. Interment was at Amador
Memorial Cemetery. As a tribute to Osborn’s career in mapping,
the USGS is researching plans to place a permanent Benchmark at his
gravesite to be labeled “Osborn 2004”. This mapping “eternal
flame” will honor the achievements and legacy of Osborn’s
mark on his profession.
Ralph
R. Root
May, 1945 – January, 2004
by Maury Nyquist
Ralph R. Root effortlessly made his way into the hearts and minds of everyone he met. No matter what role he took in their lives – colleague, scientist, musician, teacher, mentor, husband, parent, grandparent, or punmeister – Ralph was an encouraging friend to all.
After 30 years of distinguished service to the National Park Service, National Biological Service, and the US Geological Survey, Dr. Ralph R. Root, 58 years old, died January 17, 2004 following a courageous battle with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife - Charlotte, two children – Rachel and John, granddaughter– Rory, and brother - Fred.
Root was born on May 27, 1945 in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. His parents encouraged his love for music with piano and organ lessons and he sang in the school choir. Root enrolled in Allegheny College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in geology in 1967. After graduating, Root went on to earn a master’s degree in Geology and Geophysics from Indiana University in 1969. After a two-year stint with Chevron Oil Company as an exploration geologist he headed to Colorado State University, where in 1974 he earned his PhD in remote sensing of natural resources with a minor in ecology and hydrology. His dissertation involved producing a landcover classification of the first Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS; later renamed Landsat) scene collected over Yellowstone National Park (NP).
Root’s government career took off on January 6, 1974, when he accepted a job with the National Park Service (NPS), Denver Service Center (DSC) as an environmental specialist producing environmental impact statements. From 1975 to 1981 he worked in several different locations and positions. He was in the NPS Alaska Office for two years gathering information concerning geologic features, mining, and oil and gas exploration for proposed new national parks and extensions to existing parks. Then he moved back to Denver as a member of the National Landmarks Program, where he spent two years coordinating research contracts for studies of nationally significant landforms throughout the US. The last two years of this period he spent in the DSC Environmental Investigations Unit providing documentation of mining impacts in parks throughout the US and on proposed new areas under consideration by Congress for inclusion into the NPS. Root also prepared large-scale geologic baseline data for parks and analyzed effects of acid rain on cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde NP.
In 1981 Root began working in the DSC Remote Sensing Branch. Over the next four years he worked on numerous research, development, and applications projects that demonstrated the utility of the newly emerging geospatial technologies to provide data and analyses for improved planning and management of the National Parks and their resources. From the successes of these activities, in 1985 the Branch was expanded and reorganized into a headquarters office– the GIS Division. Over the next nine years the Division was involved in developing databases, performing analyses, and rapidly expanding the use of geospatial technologies throughout the NPS. During that period the NPS went from just a few installations to well over 100 in parks and program offices. During that same period Root performed a plethora of activities including, but not limited to photointerpretation, image processing, data base development, GIS applications, remote sensing research and publication, the installation, administration and operation of numerous different hardware, software and operating system configuration, training others on different systems and applications software, ongoing technical support and helping develop guidelines, policies, and standards.
In 1993 the GIS Division was transferred to the newly establish National Biological Service (NBS) to provide leadership in geospatial technologies to the new agency and was renamed the Technology Transfer Center (TTC). In 1996 the NBS became the Biological Resources Division of the US Geological Survey and TTC became the Center for Biological Informatics (CBI). During this rollercoaster ride of reorganizations, realignments, and redirections, Root’s career activities scaled back to a more reasonable level of concentration on geospatial applications, especially the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, and the newly emerging Internet technologies. At this time Root implemented the first Internet, world wide web, and email capabilities at the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) headquarters and was appointed and served for several years as chair of the newly established ASPRS Electronic Communications Committee.
Starting in 2001 Root worked the last years of his career in the USGS Rocky Mt. Mapping Center’s Research Applications and Technology (RTA) Branch, primarily focusing his research on the use of different remote sensing systems for fire fuels, fire effects, and invasive plant species mapping. Over the last ten years of his career Root also found the time to serve as a geology instructor at Colorado Christian College and give graduate seminars and serve on a PhD committee for a remote sensing student at Colorado State University.
During his career Root received numerous awards and letters of commendation, such as the “Barrier Breaker Award” from Glacier National Park in 1989 and a letter of gratitude for establishing a GIS Lab in 1994 at the Wildlife Institute of India. He impacted many lives through his work in parks and other areas throughout the nation and the world. Root’s immense dedication and enthusiasm for his work earned him the deep respect of his colleagues. After 30 years of service, Root was honored for his career with the establishment of an award created in his name. The USGS Ralph R. Root Award for Remote Sensing will be given annually to a recipient with career accomplishments that exemplify those of Root.
Highlights of Root’s career are only a small part of the person he was. An accurate characterization of Root’s persona and his life is not as straight forward, because he was such a complete and versatile individual. He was a highly competent and accomplished scientist (remote sensing and geospatial technologies, geology, computer and information technologies, and ecology), a dedicated conservationist and outdoors enthusiast, an accomplished musician (piano, organ, and vocal), an outstanding teacher and caring mentor, a deeply spiritual and religious person, a devoted family man, a loyal and caring friend, and an unabashed punster. Nevertheless the hallmarks of his life were devotion to excellence, service, teaching, and mentoring. The excellence component speaks for itself with his mastery of so many different scientific and technical areas, but it also involves his accomplishment as a musician, even to the extent that he became a certified piano tuner, in part, to better understand the qualities of the instrument. The service component speaks to his always “going forth and doing good” and “going the extra mile” while doing so. It applied to his career work, his volunteer activities, his teaching and mentoring, and his interpersonal relationships with everyone. The teaching and mentoring component is deeply intertwined with the service component, but also speaks to his real devotion to helping others understand often difficult and complex processes or concepts. He had a wonderful ability to present concepts in a variety of ways in order to ensure comprehension. Root’s teaching was enhanced by his Job-like patience. “Give a man fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” was one of Root’s favorite sayings. Root’s mentoring activities were one of many examples of his practicing the Golden Rule.
In an age when most people’s lives are remembered by the size of the footprints they leave, Root chose to tread lightly. While Root’s tender mark is upon the hearts of those he touched with his gentle spirit, the mark of his professional endeavors is nevertheless writ large across the landscapes he helped conserve.
Philip Guss
Philip Guss passed away at home in Reston, Virginia on January 4, 2004. He was 83 years old.
Guss retired from the US Geological Survey (USGS) in January, 1995 as program manager for Data Acquisition with the National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC), responsible for collecting, organizing and disseminating information concerning the availability of cartographic, geographic and spatially-related earth science data in the US. He first worked for USGS prior to his enlistment in the Navy during World War II in 1944. After the war, he joined Lockwood, Kessler and Bartlett, Inc. where he worked for 27 years as a program manager for multidisciplinary engineering, urban planning and environmental studies that integrated in-house engineering, mapping and surveying services with inputs from physical and biological scientists, architects and urban planners. He also coordinated legal services for them in support of clients before regulatory agencies and in court, serving as an expert witness. Guss then re-joined USGS in 1977.
After World War II, Guss served in the Naval Reserves through 1968, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and saw additional military service during the Korean Conflict and the capture of the U.S.S. Pueblo. In addition, his adjunct teaching experience included graduate-level lecturing at the Polytechnic Institute of New York in urban transportation planning and environmental planning, and courses taught at C.W. Post College of Long Island University.
Born in New York City and a graduate of City College of New York with a BS in biology and earth science, Guss joined ASPRS in 1965. He was a P.E in Massachusetts and a Certified Photogrammetrist (ASPRS). He was a Fellow, ASCE; a member Emeritus (ASPRS); and a past member of the New York Academy of Sciences.
In 1941 he married Sylvia Ione Loebel, with whom he lived until her death in 1991. He is survived by their two children, Deborah Katz and Daniel Ezra Guss.
Paul Frederick Hopkins
26 May, 1955 – 29 July, 2003
“ Live to ski, ski to live.”
On July 29, 2003 our community lost a distinguished colleague, a devoted family man, and a good friend in Paul Frederick Hopkins. At the age of 48, Paul died suddenly after collapsing on campus.
Paul was born May 26, 1955 in Tarryville, Connecticut, and graduated in 1977 with a BS degree in Forestry with high distinction from the University of Maine at Orono. In 1979 he joined the Faculty of Environmental Resources and Forest Engineering at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) as an assistant professor. Paul received his MS in photogrammetry and remote sensing from ESF in 1980. He took a leave of absence from 1984 to 1986 to work on his PhD in Civil and Environment Engineering (digital photogrammetry and remote sensing) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after which he returned to ESF. Paul was granted tenure in 1987 and completed his PhD in 1992. In 1993 he was appointed director of ESF’s Council for Geospatial Modeling and Analysis, which coordinates cross-disciplinary activities related to mapping and GIS. Paul was promoted to associate professor in 1994, and then full professor in 1999.
With regard to Paul’s professional career, Tom Lillesand writes:
I first met Paul some 25 year ago when I was on the faculty at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He was just starting graduate school at that time but it was clear that he had a passion for photogrammetry and remote sensing. With time, this passion came to include teaching, research, and substantial professional service.
Paul’s research contributions were equally broad and impressive. His PhD research here at Wisconsin dealt with dynamic modeling for photogrammetric processing of SPOT satellite imagery, which was consistent with his keen interest in the geometric (and radiometric) integrity of remotely sensed data. Through the years Paul made substantial contributions particularly in the area of the application of airborne and satellite imagery to forest management. He received support for his research program from multiple sources (e.g., US Forest Service, National Science Foundation, and state and county agencies).
Paul was currently involved in a NOAA-funded project that was using remote sensing to study cyanobacteria in the Great Lakes and was directing a NASA-funded project that considered technical and policy issues in using remote sensing for forest management. In recent years he directed a project that studied the application of radar imagery for forest classification and he was involved in numerous projects considering the application of GIS to a range of areas.
Paul derived great pleasure in communicating the benefits of the mapping sciences to anyone who would listen. He was able and willing to teach everything from elementary surveying and map interpretation to remote sensing and GIS at levels from undergraduate through advanced graduate. Paul made frequent presentations and encouraged his students to present papers and posters at conferences, symposia, workshops and meetings including those hosted by ASPRS, CNY ASPRS, and the American societies of Agricultural Engineering, Fisheries, Foresters, and others. He was particularly proud of the work he directed at ESF through the NASA-funded Affiliated Research Center – a program focused on the exploration and development of a broad range of commercial applications of remote sensing and related geospatial technologies. Through this center, Paul was able to work with a range of people to help them to better use imagery and spatial information.
Paul was also a good friend to ASPRS and a member since 1977. At the National level, his service included chairmanship of the Strategic Planning and Membership Committees, and core and charter membership in the Electronic Communications Committee. He ran for Vice-President in 1993, was the National Director from the Central New York (CNY) Region from 1987 to 1993, and served on the Executive Committee from 1989 to 1993. Paul was vice-president of the CNY Region, twice President, and a long time member of the Region Council. He contributed original research and other articles to PE&RS and recruited many students and professionals to the Society. Paul helped establish and direct the New York State GIS Conference, of which CNY ASPRS is a co-sponsor. Paul was also instrumental in establishing the William Johnson Memorial Fund, along with Bill’s parents. Bill and Paul were good friends, and together they played an important role as part of the ESF support that has helped sustain the CNY Region through the years.
Paul was a 20-year member of the Plymouth Congregational Church, UCC, and a dedicated Boy Scout leader. He was a Merit Badge Counselor for the Hiawatha Council for skiing, orienteering, surveying, forestry, and environmental science. Paul would often talk about the many Boy Scout trips he attended with his sons Eric and Ryan, including trips to Philmont Scout Ranch and the National Jamboree.
An avid hiker and backpacker, Paul was also a sports fan. Even when the boys were young, Paul and his wife, Chris, would pack up all their baby equipment, including coolers, to go watch a Syracuse Chiefs game. Eric and Ryan have both grown up to be fine baseball players, even pretty good pitchers. Paul always made the time to get to as many of their games as possible. He was proud of their accomplishments and abilities, even when they lost. He made sure we all knew their latest statistics and bragged about their deeds. Of course, Paul was also thrilled when his favorite basketball team, the SU Orangemen, finally became NCAA National Champions this year, a dream for 25 years.
But perhaps Paul’s greatest legacy is the example he set as a devoted husband, father, and friend. Those who knew and worked with Paul understood that priorities would be arranged in winter to accommodate his family’s weekly ski outings on the local hills. His email signature “Live to Ski, Ski to Live” was not simply about skiing, but reflected Paul’s philosophy of life. You soon realized that he integrated the separate parts of his life – outdoors, scouts, mapping, work, students, family and skiing. Paul opened his life to those outside of his family, and always made others welcome. The Hopkins’ house was often filled with Paul’s friends and graduate students, sharing a meal, playing pool or just talking. Family, work and community – he lived each aspect of his life to the fullest; successfully intertwining all his time, talents and devotions.
We hope you will take a moment to remember Paul, his integrity, kindness and gentlemanly demeanor.
Paul is survived by: his wife Christine M. Hopkins; his sons, Eric and Ryan Hopkins; his parents, Ronald and Joyce Hopkins of Searsport, MA; brother and sister-in-law, Grant and Lisa Hopkins; sister and brother-in-law, Tammy Hopkins and David Comlin; his mother-inlaw, Nancy Bown of Winslow, ME; sister-in-law, Gwyneth Bown; brother and sister-in-law, Warren and Beth Bown; a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. In memory of Paul, his family has asked that contributions may be made to either:
ESF College Foundation, Inc.
For: The William Johnson Mapping Sciences Fund
1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY
13210-277
or
The Boy Scouts of America
Hiawatha-Seaway Council
113 Twin Oaks Drive,
Syracuse, NY
13206-1205
Prepared by CNY ASPRS with thanks for contributions from Tom Lillesand and SUNYESF President Cornelius Murphy, and Brenda Greenfield and Karen Welch in the SUNY-ESF College Foundation
Dr. Robert “Bob” Aangeenbrug
Dr. Robert “Bob” Aangeenbrug, 67, of Gulfport, Florida, died May 15, 2003 while visiting in Lawrence, Kansas. He was born in Sassenheim, Netherlands, October 9th 1935, and came to the United States as a child. He earned his B.S. from Central Connecticut State College in 1958, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1963 and 1965. Aangeenbrug had a distinguished career including service as an assistant professor at Boston University, professor in the Geography-Meteorology Department at the University of Kansas from 1965-1985, and as a professor and chair of the Department of Geography at the University of South Florida. He was the Executive Director of the Association of American Geographers from 1984-1989. One of the pioneers in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), he lectured at the Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics in the 1960s and directed the Wichita Falls Urban Information Systems Project from 1970-1973. In 1980 he served as project director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Mapping Project. He also served as president of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and as president of the National Computer Graphics Association (NCGA). Survivors include Mimi, his wife of 42 years; three daughters, five siblings and five grandchildren.
Gilbert L. Hobrough
Gilbert L. Hobrough, an ASPRS member and winner of the 1960 Photogrammetric (Fairchild) Award, died in January of 2002.
Paul
R. Wolf
John
(Jack) E. Estes
DAVID
ROY (DAVE) HOCKING 
Garrett
Carper Tewinkel 
Tamsin
G. Barnes 1934-1999