Dr. Warren B. Hamilton, who served in the Department of Geophysics for more than 20 years as one of its Distinguished Senior Scientists, died October 26, 2018. Born in 1925, Dr. Hamilton served in U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946 and was a commissioned officer on the USS Tarawa. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1945, a master’s degree in geology from the University of Southern California and a PhD in geology from UCLA. Dr. Hamilton worked as a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey and was known for integrating observed geology and geophysics into planetary-scale syntheses describing the evolution of Earth’s crust and mantle. After retiring from the USGS in 1995, Warren became a Distinguished Senior Scientist in the Department, where he established a whole new career, collaborating with faculty, giving lectures, guiding students, and teaching classes until Fall 2017. Respected throughout the geoscience community, Dr. Hamilton was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Geological Society of America’s Penrose Medal.
Dr. Hamilton was preceded in death in 2015 by his beloved wife, Alicita, and is survived by their three children, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. His contributions to our department and to geoscience research are profound, and he will be sorely missed by friends, family, students, and colleagues, alike.