John Weymouth, former president of SAS

I'm sad to pass along this news:

"John Walter Weymouth, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, died December 20, 2012, from complications of Parkinson's disease. John was born on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, California, where his father and grandfather were professors. He attended both Stanford and Berkeley and earned a PhD in physics. He taught and did research in physics at the University of California, Vassar College, Clarkson University, and the University of Nebraska where he retired in l989.

"In mid-career John became interested in the application of scientific methods in archeology and worked with the NPS on many U.S. sites, for NATO-sponsored work in Greece, and other agencies. His pioneering work in the use of magnetometers and other remote sensing tools for subsurface mapping of sites transformed geophysical prospection in North American from a type of special analysis to an invaluable and standard part of contemporary archeology. He has been recognized with awards from the Society of American Archaeology and Nebraska Historical Society and, most recently, The Geological Society of America for lifetime achievement in the field of archeological geology."  (From the NPS)

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

January 05, 2013 2:30 am  •  

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John Walter Weymouth, died December 20, 2012 from complications of Parkinson's disease. John was born on Stanford campus in Palo Alto, Calif., where his father and grandfather were professors. He attended both Stanford and Berkeley and earned a PhD in physics. He taught and did research in physics at the University of California, Vassar College, Clarkson University, and the University of Nebraska where he retired in l989. In mid-career John became interested in the application of scientific methods in archaeology and has worked with the National Park Service on many U.S. sites, for NATO sponsored work in Greece and other agencies. His pioneering work in the use of magnetometers and other remote sensing tools for subsurface mapping of sites has transformed geophysical prospection in North American from a type of special analysis to an invaluable and standard part of contemporary archaeology. His work was termed "unparalleled" and "groundbreaking". He has been recognized with awards from the Society of American Archaeology and Nebraska Historical Society and, most recently, The Geological Society of America for lifetime achievement in the field of archaeological geology. His family knew him as an exceedingly humble, thoughtful and gentle man, with a wonderful sense of humor; he loved puns, silly stories--we recall the exploits of Sir Basil Digmore, fabled and fictional archaeologist--and jokes. He loved his family, was a huge fan of opera and was super fond of his dogs.


He is survived by his wife, Laura; sons, Terry (Jacki), and Daniel(Deborah); daughter, Evelyn; step-daughter, Victoria; daughter-in-law, Rae Ann; six grandchildren; one great grandchild; and four step-greats; as well as Josie, a small Spaniel. Preceding him in death were his parents, two sisters, and his first wife, Patricia.
Memorial Service: 2 p.m. Saturday (1/5/13) at Unitarian Church, 6300 'A' Street, with Rev. Fritz Hudson officiating. Memorials in John's honor may be sent to the National Center for Science Education or the Southern Poverty Law Center. Condolences can be left online atwww.roperandsons.com.


John wrote a number of seminal papers on magnetometry and U.S. archaeology.

He was the SAA's Fryxell Medalist for interdisciplinary research in archaeology and the physical sciences in 1998.

John was a longtime member of the Society for Archaeological Sciences, and was its 4th president.

We'll miss you, John.

----
Rob Sternberg
Franklin & Marshall College
General Secretary, SAS

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