Elected in 1989

“For significant and outstanding advances in several fields of geophysics, as well as his clear transmission of these advances to students and colleagues.”

BY ROBERT J. WEIMER

JAMES EDWARD (ED) WHITE, a highly respected and accomplished geophysicist, died peacefully on January 30, 2003. Dr. White was appointed in 1976 as the first recipient of the Charles Henry Green Endowed Chair in Exploration Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), a position he held until his retirement in 1988.

Prior to his appointment at CSM, Ed gained international recognition in academic circles as the Lloyd Nelson Professor at the University of Texas (UT)-El Paso (1973–1976), and as a visiting professor at the University of Texas-Austin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Sydney, Australia (ESSO Professor), and Macquarie University in Sydney. He also taught short courses in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Ed was known for his ability to communicate difficult concepts in lucid, polished prose for his students, many of whom became renowned geophysicists around the world. He was justly proud to receive the Halliburton Award for outstanding teaching and scholarship at CSM, and he remained active as an emeritus professor, despite the ravages of 20 years of affliction with Parkinson’s disease.