History of Our School

One Hundred and One Years of Geography
at Arizona State University
Malcolm L. Comeaux

Acknowledgments
Special thanks must be given to Patricia Gober, John Lounsbury, Malcolm Miller and Thor Rothan who contributed generously toward the publication costs of this booklet. Without their help, it couldn’t have been done. Special thanks also to Estelle Denzin and Carol Moore at University Archives, who gave great help in researching old records. The writer is also greatly indebted to all the students, alumni and friends who contributed time for interviews and money toward publication costs. top

Introduction
eographers study the earth. The discipline receives its name from two Greek words, geo (the earth) and graphy (to write), and thus to write of the earth is the role of geographers. Geography is a very old field of study, going back more than 2500 years to such early Greek writers as Hecataues, Herodotus, and Erathosthenes, who in the third century B.C. published the first book to be titled Geography. Like all formal disciplines, geography began to develop with the establishment of universities in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The first regularly appointed and paid geographer in a university was Barthel Stein, who was appointed to the faculty in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1509. In the late 1500s Oxford University hired its first full-time geography professor, Richard Hakluyt. By the 1800s geography was taught at most universities in Europe and America.

The study of geography began at Arizona State University in 1885 when the institution, called Tempe Normal School, was first founded. From that modest beginning, the discipline has grown into an academic department with a significant instructional and research mission. The purpose of this work is to place the Department of Geography in its historical context--to better understand the personalities, events, and processes that guided our development at ASU. The development can be divided into six phases, or chapters. The first encompasses the earliest years of the school when geography was taught, but the school was not on firm footing. In the second phase, during the early twentieth century, geography gained respect and continued to be taught, but as yet no one trained as a geographer was hired to devote full time to the teaching of the discipline. It was not until the third period between 1923 and 1944, when Mr. J.W. Hoover was teaching, that the tradition of geographic research and publication was established. The fourth period from 1943 to 1969 was one of a rapidly expanding geography faculty, and the establishment of a formal department. In the fifth period, from 1969 to 1987, the Ph.D. program was established, harmony reigned, and the department began to acquire national stature. The last era, 1987 to the present, was one of stability and ever-expanding national reputation. In addition to discussing these periods in greater detail, this volume includes sections on the graduate program and Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU), the honorary geographic society, and lists the recipients of graduate degrees as well as members of GTU.

Various sources of information were used in writing this paper. The Archives of ASU was most helpful, providing access to many files and documents for the earliest years. Departmental files were helpful in working with more recent years, as well as interviews with former students and faculty members. For the last two chapters, I lived through this era, so know it intimately (and I hope I got it all straight). top

The Formative Years: 1886-1900
When Arizona State University first was established in 1885, it was named Arizona Territorial Normal School, and like all “normal schools”, it specialized in the education of teachers. It was a two-year school, and all students took the same “courses of study”. Geography was included in the first two semesters of this four-semester program-- “geography” in the first semester and “physical geography” in the second. A diploma was awarded for either an “elementary” or an “advanced” degree, based on the course of study, and completion of either program allowed graduates to teach in the territorial schools. There were 33 students in attendance when the school opened in 1886, and the lone teacher (and Principal) was Hiram Bradford Farmer. Farmer was a very dynamic and tireless person, but he resigned as Principal after only two years.

In 1888 Robert Lindley Long was hired as Principal, and he too was to hold that position for two years. These were difficult years, as money was scarce, there were problems over the governing board (two existed for a time), and enrollments were declining. The curriculum was expanded to a third year, and “geography” was taught in the first semester, and “geography methods” was taught in the first semester of the third year. The idea of a third year of study was apparently not a good one, and it was dropped, so only the basic geography course was taught in the 1889-1890 academic year.

In 1890 Dayton A. Reed was selected to be Principal, and Edgar L. Storment as Assistant Principal. The institution now had two professors, and geography became an even more important part of the school’s curriculum as it was offered for four semesters. Courses were described for the first time in 1890. The first course covered North and South America, with “Particular attention (paid) to the topography and resources of Arizona.” The second term covered Europe and Asia, while the third term covered Africa, Australia, and Oceania, as well as mathematical geography and cartography. The fourth term was on physical geography. It is not known which of the two men, Reed or Storment, taught these courses, but it was probably the latter (it was not until the early 1940s that class schedules were printed). Of some interest is the fact that in 1891 the school purchased its first piece of audiovisual equipment, a magical lantern operated by a kerosene lamp.

In 1892, Principal Reed resigned his position and, upon his recommendation, Mr. Storment was chosen the next Principal. Edgar Lafayette Storment was a young man of 27 and a graduate of Southern Illinois State Normal University. Before arriving in Tempe, he taught one year in Illinois and one year at the Agua Caliente School along the Gila River, where several of his relatives attempted a farm colony. The Agua Caliente School was a rough one, as “the pupils were sons and daughters of cattle rustlers and were as tough and uncouth as their parents.” He kept a revolver in his desk, and “in order to impress the boys, at recess he demonstrated his skill as a marksman.” There were no discipline problems at the Arizona Territorial School, because it had a strict code of conduct that stated:

There will be no need to refer to the matter of discipline in a Normal School. Only those will be admitted who have well-formed and correct habits. This is in no sense a reform school, and young ladies and gentlemen who are not disposed to cheerfully submit to all the wholesome restraints found necessary for the good reputation of the school will be promptly dismissed.

Mr. Storment was an excellent leader and was greatly respected by students and townspeople. He also had much school spirit, because in 1893-94, when his salary was $2000, he took a pay cut to $1600 to help in the construction of Old Main.

The year 1892 was also significant because 1) for the first time, a teacher was hired specifically to teach geography, 2) the first female teachers were hired, and 3) the faculty expanded to three. Augusta (Gussie) Hildebrant was hired to teach geography (along with English and history). Miss Hildebrant remained at the school for two years. At that time she tendered her resignation for unknown and apparently controversial reasons. The June 13, 1894 Phoenix Daily Herald stated:

Immediately after the order of the Board by which the position Miss Hildebrant has filled so long and faithfully, was given to another, the students unanimously signed a petition praying for her reinstatement but as the Board refused to reconsider their action the petition was withdrawn and was last night presented to that lady as a testimonial of their appreciation of her efforts in their behalf.

Another female teacher, hired to replace Miss Hildebrant in 1894, was Jean M. Woods, a graduate of the State Normal School, Millersville, Pennsylvania. Because of a scandal, however, she remained at the school for only a little more than a semester. Principal Storment reported to the Board that at about Christmas time, 1894, a Mr. Olney L. Rudd of Springerville (reported “close relative” and ex-student) moved in with Miss Woods. They were married on January 27, 1895. Because married females were not allowed to teach in those days, she was relieved of her duties.

The 1895-96 academic year brought significant changes to the institution and geography. Principal Storment resigned because of poor physical health (he later died in Tempe of tuberculosis at the age of 33), and James A. McNaughton replaced him. Geography was changed to a three-course sequence. The first course was physical geography, the second was political geography (which was treated as a part of history) and the third was mathematical geography (studied were the shape and motion of the earth, location of places, the making of maps and projections, and the like). The person hired to teach geography was Lillian Ballance Rice, but she only remained on the faculty for one year. The faculty was expanded to four for this year, and another new faculty member was Frederick Mortimer Irish. He apparently was to teach much geography over the next 25 years, and he spent the last 20 years or so of his life as this school’s registrar.

In 1896-97 Miss Kate Bee Griswold, a graduate of Cook County Normal School was hired to teach geography. Miss Griswold taught at the school for only one year, and soon afterward married Fred Irish (but the marriage did not last, and was annulled).

The 1897-98 catalog indicated growth and changes in the school. The faculty now included seven members, and a third year was added to the curriculum, putting it on a par with normal schools elsewhere. (Because of this change, there was no graduating class in 1900, and no catalog in 1898-99.) Added to the faculty at this time was Frances (Fanny) H. Bury, who was hired to teach geography, as well as music, drawing and penmanship. Miss Bury was from California, and was an 1896 graduate of the San Jose State Teachers College. She remained in Tempe for two years but, in 1899, the Board transferred her to Flagstaff to help in the establishment of what was to evolve into Northern Arizona University.

The 1899-1900 catalog shows more changes in the geography curriculum. Geography was still divided into a physical geography course, and a political geography course (that was considered a part of the history program), and two geography texts were required. For the first time in quite a while, however, there was no one employed specifically to teach geography. Fred Irish probably taught the physical geography course, as he was the teacher of natural sciences. Throughout the early twentieth century, Irish’s name was closely related to the discipline of geography at ASU. top

The Early Twentieth Century: 1900 to 1924
The year 1900 brought much stability to the institution. Arthur John Matthews was selected as Principal of the school (it was not until 1913 that this office was titled President), and he was to remain in that position for 30 years. One year later the legislature changed the name of the school to Tempe Normal School of Arizona, a name it was to bear for 24 years.

Geography continued to be an important part of the school curriculum although no one was hired specifically to teach geography for much of the 1900 to 1916 period. The school catalogs for these years gives us a good overall view of the discipline.

In the earliest years geography was under the Science Department, and later under the Natural Science Department, which in 1910 was renamed the Department of Earth Science. During most of the early years two courses in geography were taught: physical geography (through much of this period called “physiography”) and geography. Little is known of these early courses until the 1908-09 catalog, where a description is given of each. The physical geography course was taught much like such a course is taught today. The “Geography” course was broad in content, and included world regional geography, as well as a large section “devoted to local geography and to the geography of Arizona.” It also stated that “The student’s imagination is assisted and developed by the use of lantern slides”- -nothing seems to change (except today it is power-point presentations).

In 1903-04 Mr. William H. Lee was hired to teach Latin and Geography. Mr. Lee attended Wabash College, and studied for three years in France and Germany. Before coming to Tempe Normal School he taught in Arizona schools for ten years. He had no great impact on the institution or geography. Between the years 1900 and 1914, he was the only person hired specifically to teach geography--the other geography teacher being Fred Irish.

During the first quarter of the twentieth century, the field of geography at ASU was closely tied to Fred Irish (1870-1941). He taught the geography courses (physiography and geography) between 1900 and 1914, except for the 1903-04 year. Mr. Irish did not teach geography after 1914, but he remained chairman of the department in which geography was taught (named at different times Science, Natural Science, and Earth Science), and he was always a strong supporter of the discipline.

Mr. Irish was born in Dubuque, Iowa, and the oldest of five children. He spent three years at the University of Iowa studying science (he returned to that school 25 years later and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education), and came to Tempe as a faculty member in 1895. He taught chemistry and physics until his later years, when he became Registrar (1925-41). Although not trained in geography, he was very competent, and he published a booklet, titled “Arizona,” which was a supplement to the book New Geographies: Second Book, authored by Ralph S. Tarr and Frank M. McMurry (N.Y.: Macmillan Company). This was one of the first publications by a faculty member at this institution, and was first published in 1907 (and revised in 1911). Mr. Irish was also known as the person who coached the first football team to play the downstate rival in Tucson, and he led them to an 11 to 2 victory. A devout Catholic, he founded the “Newman Club,” which was to evolve into the Newman Center on the ASU campus. He died at age 70 on April 12, 1941.

The next person to teach geography, from 1914 to 1916, was George H. Schaeffer. He was offered the position of “director of athletics and preceptor of our Boys’ Dormitory, with a little teaching here and there.” Mr. Schaeffer was not trained in geography, and it is obvious in letters to the school that his heart was in athletics. He was a graduate of Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg, Pa., where he had been a member of that school’s football, basketball, baseball, and track teams.

Frederick W. Hiatt was the next person hired to teach geography, and the first truly qualified to do so. He was hired in May 1916. Fred had a bachelor’s and master’s degree (in geology) from the University of Chicago. He “completed practically all of the work in geography” offered by that university, and he received good letters of recommendation from Harlan Barrows and Rollin Salisbury, probably the biggest “names” in geography at that time. Fred Hiatt was good for geography and the institution. Soon after his arrival, the basic geography course, which had been called “earth science” for a few years, was once again called geography (physical geography was still called physiography), and geography was expanded to a sequence of three courses, and then a fourth course was added. He was a very popular instructor, and the 1922 yearbook was dedicated to him.

Mr. Hiatt’s relationship to the university was terminated under strange circumstances. In the Board of Education minutes of the meeting of February 1, 1923 is found the statement that because of “the attitude of Mr. Hiatt toward the school, its administration, and its faculty,” he was told to hand in his resignation, or he would be fired within 30 days. Nothing in the documents says why he was being fired. He always told everyone, however, that he was fired because the governor’s daughter had failed his course, and the governor put pressure on President Matthews to put pressure on him to change the grade--but he would not. True or not, it makes a great story, and knowing Governor Hunt, it certainly was possible. At the time (the 1922-23 school year), the governor’s daughter, Virginia Hunt (Frund), was attending this school as a Fourth year student. As such, she was actually a senior in the high school portion of the college, which was called the “sub-normal.” Unfortunately, records from the sub-normal were not preserved, so it cannot be proven that Virginia Hunt failed Mr. Hiatt’s course. It could have happened, however, as Governor Hunt was inaugurated January 1, 1923, he drove to Tempe with two board members January 25th, and Hiatt was fired exactly one week later. There was a student demonstration to protest the firing, but it did no good. Following his dismissal he became involved in several business ventures, and never taught again. He died at his home in DeKalb, Illinois, on April 29, 1951.

The next person hired to teach geography was Mr. Dee M. Hibner. He had an A.M. degree from Colorado State Teachers College, with a major in Social Science. He taught at Tempe Normal during the 1923-24 academic year, and although the board extended his contract another year, he tendered his resignation, stating that he was “only leaving because of a larger salary.” The next person to teach geography was Jonas W. Hoover, and with his arrival, a new era of geography begins. top

The Hoover Years: 1924 to 1943
The years 1924 to 1943 saw many changes in geography and in the institution. The school changed names and expanded its mission and scope, and geography changed in that many courses were added. A “Department of Geography” existed for a while, and a person could major in the study of geography.

Tempe Normal School in 1924 was a small provincial two-year institution, with the goal of teacher education. In 1925, however, the name of the institution was changed to “Tempe State Teachers College.” At that time it became a four-year institution empowered to grant the degree of Bachelor of Education. This was considered an inferior degree when compared to the Bachelor of Arts, and school supporters immediately began efforts to change that situation. In 1929 the school’s name again changed, this time to Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe, and it was now authorized to award the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Education. The school was now a full four-year institution granting degrees on a par with other teacher’s schools in the United States.

The discipline of geography prospered during this period, although throughout this era there was only one geographer on the faculty, Jonas Wenger Hoover (Fig. 1).

Figure 1

When Hoover arrived in 1924 there were only three courses in geography, but by the 1928-29 year, the college was a four-year institution, there were five geography courses plus a summer field class, and students could now major in geography. By the mid-1930s there were 11 or more geography courses, and two geology courses, all taught by Mr. Hoover.

The first time the Bulletin specifically listed a “Geography Department” was in 1927. In 1929 geography was combined with geology to form the “Department of Geography and Geology,” with six courses in geography and one in geology. The following year there was reorganization, and the Department of Science was established, with the “Division of Geography and Geology” under that department. The head of that department was Dr. George Bateman, a chemist. Geography as a discipline continued to prosper. From 1932 through 1943 (when Hoover left) there were usually 11 geography and two geology courses, all taught by Hoover. Throughout this period geography was well recognized on this campus, and many students majored in geography, much of this as a result of the work of Hoover.

Jonas Wenger Hoover was born in Lancaster County, in eastern Pennsylvania, on June 23, 1889. He graduated from Millersville Normal School in 1908 and taught grammar and high school for three years. He then earned an A.B. from Oberlin College in 1914, and an M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1915. His master’s degree was in sociology, but he remained at Chicago an extra year for intensive study in the field of geography, and ever afterward considered himself a professional geographer. Armed with this training, he taught high school in Michigan for two years, and then served in the Navy during World War I. He then moved to California and taught at state normal schools there, and finally in 1924, came to Tempe Normal School. He was to spend the vast majority of his academic career at this institution. It was here that he did his publishing and where he developed an international reputation as a scholar and expert on the American Southwest. Three things stand out during this 18 year period of Hoover’s life, 1) his publications, 2) his teaching abilities, and 3) his concern for students and his involvement in their lives.

Mr. Hoover was a prolific writer. This was unusual for an educator at a teachers college, where teaching loads and other chores were very time-consuming. He was truly a research scholar, and this is reflected in his publication record. He published articles in the Journal of Geography, Geographical Review, Bulletin of the Philadelphia Geographic Society, Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, Scientific Monthly, American Anthropologists, Pan American Geologists, and Economic Geography. He also re-wrote the Arizona booklet (first written by Irish), and wrote a second book on the Southwest that was unfortunately never published because of World War II. All but one of his publications dealt with the American Southwest. It would be safe to say that he was the finest researcher and scholar at Arizona State Teachers College during most of his tenure here, and certainly the best known.

Because of his publications, Hoover had an international reputation as an expert on the Southwest and Southwestern Indians. Many famous geographers came to Tempe to visit the Mr. Hoover, including several important European geographers, and William Morris Davis, the father of modern American geography. He was a member of several academic organizations, and, in 1931, as a result of his publication record, he was invited to join the Association of American Geographers, an unusual feat for a professor at a teachers college.

J.W. Hoover was also a good teacher. He was widely noted for his use of glass (lantern) slides in his classes. Many former students commented that he was the only teacher on the campus at the time to use such slides, and students were greatly attracted to him because of such innovative teaching techniques. Many of the slides he used were purchased, but most he photographed, hand-colored, and mounted in glass (many still survive).

Mr. Hoover worked with several campus organizations, but he was particularly fond of the Geographic Society, which he founded in 1924, the year he arrived. It remained a strong and viable organization until he left in 1943. He also established a chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon on this campus in 1932, one year after GTU was established as a national organization.

In 1943, Mr. Hoover resigned from the college and went to work for the military Intelligence Service in Washington, D.C. as an arid lands expert working on North African topics. After about a year he resigned form that position, and later taught at several colleges (Nebraska Wesleyan, Arkansas Polytechnic College, Northwest Louisiana State College, and possibly others). He retired by 1950 and moved back to the Phoenix area, where he died in 1979. With his death, geography and Arizona State lost a true friend and scholar. top

The Early Era of Expansion: 1943 to 1969
The years 1943 to 1969 were an era of slow growth (1943-59), and then rapid growth (1959-69). Geography courses were taught throughout this era, and students continued to major in geography, though for a few years during and after World War II (1944-46 and 1947-48) there was no geographer employed. The real era of growth started when the Department of Geography was re established in 1957. At that time, as happened with almost all disciplines on campus, there was rapid growth of faculty and expansion of the curriculum.

Mr. Ewald Pietsch (pronounced “peach”) was hired to replace J. W. Hoover. Mr. Pietsch had good training, having received a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Chicago. He taught geography in Tempe for one year, and also worked with the Army Air Force Geography Program (this was a training program for aviation cadets). He died at age 89 on Aug. 20, 1981.

The following two years (1944-46) all geography courses were taught by Dr. Ira Judd, and he continued to teach a geography class or two until 1948. He was supportive of the Geographic Society, and was the faculty sponsor for that organization for two years. He came to Tempe in 1937 as head of the Department of Agriculture, and retired from ASU in 1973.

The name of the school changed during this period. In March 1945, the school was renamed “Arizona State College at Tempe,” and this meant that the college was no longer restricted to the training of teachers it was on the way to being a true university. Within a short time the school was authorized to grant the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, and students were allowed to “major” in various curricula. Soon after this event the student population began to grow dramatically, as many veterans returned from the war.

Dr. James Irving Culbert was hired to teach geography for the 1946-47 year. He was the first geographer with a Ph.D. (Clark University, 1939) to teach at this school. When he left Arizona, he accepted a position at New Mexico A & M (now New Mexico State University) where he spent the rest of his career. He passed away in the summer of 1983.

There was no geographer at Arizona State College in 1947-48, but a geologist was hired at this time, Paul T. Miller, and he was to have an impact on geography for the next several years. Dr. Miller (Ph.D. from Iowa) was hired as an Associate Professor of Geography and Geology. He and Dr. Judd taught all geography courses that year, and for many years he was supportive of the Geographic Society, often acting as its sponsor. Miller continued to teach geography (and geology) courses until separate Departments of Geology and Geography were established in 1957, after which he became head of the Geology Department until 1965. He retired from the University in 1977.

John E. Christensen was the next geographer hired. He was hired on a temporary basis in 1947 to replace a history professor, and then began teaching geography courses. He had earlier earned his B.A. and M.A. in Education at Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe, and during and after the war had studied toward a Ph.D. at Oxford University in England. He taught in Tempe until 1951, and then resigned.

In 1951-52 the Department of Physical Science was established, with Geography- Geology a division of that department. At that time a student could major in Geography-Geology, and select from sixteen to eighteen geography courses and six to seven geology courses. Later, in 1957, separate Departments of Geography and Geology were established.

George T. Renner III was hired to teach geography as a replacement for Christensen in 1951, and he had a major impact on Geography for the next few years. He had a B.A. from Stanford, and an M.A. and Ed.D. (1954) from Columbia. From 1951 to 1955 he and Paul Miller taught all geography courses. When the Department of Geography was established in 1957, Renner was made chairman, a position he held until 1960. Renner was to remain at this school until his retirement in 1970.

Another geographer was added in 1955, Virgil Baker (B.S. and M.S. from Nebraska, and a Ph.D. from Utah in 1954). When the Departments of Geology and Geography were established in 1957, Baker, although trained as a geographer, elected to be a part of the Geology Department. He later joined the Geography Department for the 1960-61 year, but then resigned from the university to teach at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, where he taught for two years, and then he taught at Fresno State for three years. He returned to Arizona State in 1966, and at this time once again became a part of the Geography Department, and remained here until retiring in 1978.

With establishment of the Department of Geography in 1957, the university made a true commitment to geography. There was soon rapid growth in the number of faculty. Adding impetus to these changes was the fact that in December 1958, the name of the institution changed again, this time to Arizona State University. A graduate program was established in geography in 1962, and there was a great growth in the number of students, both undergraduate and graduate, working on degrees in geography at ASU.

Renner was Chairman of the department for the first three years, and then from 1960 to 1966 Lloyd Haring (Ph.D. Iowa) was Chairman. The mid-1960’s were turbulent years, and many faculty members came and went at this time, some staying for only a very short time. Prof. Haring at the time was trying to mold the department so that it would have a more “quantitative” approach. He received little support from the students, faculty and administration. Virgil Baker was made Acting Chairman in 1966 while the administration began a search for an outsider to bring stability, prestige, and direction to geography.

The geography teachers at Arizona State from 1957 to 1969 are listed below, in chronological order from the time they arrived at this school.

George T. Renner. Already mentioned

Stanley H. Ross. At ASU from 1957 to 1963, Dr. Ross received a B.A. and M.A. at Colorado, and a Ph.D. from UCLA in 1965. He was a football lineman (and nicknamed “tank”) while at Colorado. He was brought to Arizona State because of his Latin American interests, and while here he worked on his dissertation (“Prehistoric Indians and Their Use of Copper in the Southwest”). He resigned from ASU to devote full time to dissertation research. After leaving ASU he taught at several schools, and in 1965 he became Chairman of the Geography Department at San Fernando State College, at Northridge California. He became a dean at that school, but died an early death due to a heart attack in the early 1970’s.

Harry C. Coffin. At ASU from 1958 to 1960, Coffin earned a B.A. from San Diego State, and an M.A. and Ph.D. (in 1961) from the University of California at Berkeley. He left ASU for California State University, Los Angeles, where he remained until his retirement.

L. Lloyd Haring. At ASU from 1959 to 1982, Lloyd earned a B.S. in education and an M.S. in history from Kansas State, and in 1959 a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. At of 1987, he had the distinction of being the geographer to remain at Arizona State longer than any other. Except for four years at Arkansas State (1952-58), and several summer sessions, he spent his entire academic career at Arizona State. Dr. Haring was best known for his work in the study of the geography of crime. Unfortunately, he died in an automobile motorcycle accident on October 8, 1982, at the age of 60.

Robert Guy Buzzard. At ASU from 1959 to 1961, Dr. Buzzard earned his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Chicago, and his Ph.D. in 1925 from Clark University. He spent eleven years at Illinois State (1922 to 1933), and while there founded Gamma Theta Upsilon. He was president of Eastern Illinois State Teachers College for twenty-three years. At age sixty-eight he came to spend his final two years of teaching at ASU. He retired to southern California, and died there in the summer of 1979.

Harris H. Haertel. Mr. Haertel was an Instructor at ASU for one semester (Fall, 1960), replacing Dr. Renner who was on leave. He had a B.S. from ASU, and also a B.F.T. from the American Institute for Foreign Trade. He spent most of his career teaching at a community college in Seattle.

Frederick L. Wernstedt. At ASU one year, 1961-62, Dr. Wernstedt had a B.A. from UCLA, an M.A. from Syracuse, and a Ph.D. (1953) from UCLA. He taught at Pennsylvania State University for nine years before coming to ASU. Because of disagreements and the fact that Penn. State offered him more money, he returned. He retired to Tucson.

Jerzy Zaborski. At ASU from 1961 to 1965, Zaborski had a B.A. from McGill University, and an M.A. from The University of Toronto. Jerzy proved to be an interesting and provocative character. He believed in the “Socratian” approach to teaching (where students and teacher sat and discussed ideas), and for several years gave no grade lower than an A.

Edwin H. Thomas. At ASU from 1962 to 1965, Dr. Thomas had a B.S. in Ed. from Northern Illinois University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. (1958) from Northwestern University. He taught four years at Iowa (1958-62) before coming to ASU. Dr. Thomas was very well known at the time, and his arrival on campus was a real coup for the department and university. Although a young man, he was considered to be one of the “old timers” in the quantitative revolution. He left to go to Northwestern University, and then to the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he spent the rest of his career.

Paul A. Manera. At ASU for the 1962-63 year, he replaced Wernstedt. He had a B.A. from Fresno State, and an M.A. in Ed. (geography emphasis) from Arizona State. He returned to ASU twice more, earning an M.A. in geography in 1970, and a Ph.D. in geography in 1982. He lives in the Phoenix area, and owns a consulting firm.

Leslie Curry. At ASU for one year, 1963-64, Curry received a B.A. from the University of Durham, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins, and a Ph.D. (1959) from the University of Auckland. He taught at several universities before coming to Tempe. Because of the poor health of a family member while in Tempe, he left to go to the University of Toronto, where he remained. He was another of the quantitative geographers, although he always considered himself a mathematical theorist.

Richard A. Mitchell. At ASU from 1963 to 1966, Mitchell earned a B.S. from Western Michigan, and a Ph.D. from Iowa in 1964. He was another of the “quantitative” people brought in by Dr. Haring, but he left for State University of New York at Buffalo because of such factors as more pay, lighter teaching load, better facilities, and the like.

Harley P. Milstead. At ASU for one year, 1964-65, he served as a Visiting Professor. He received a B. of Ed. from Illinois State Normal, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. (1933) from Clark University. He had over thirty five years teaching experience when he came to Tempe, thirty one of them at Montclair State College in New Jersey.

James E. Hill, Jr. was at ASU from 1964 to 1967. He received the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. (1963) from the University of Tennessee. He taught for three years before coming to ASU. After he left ASU he taught at several schools, and then worked for the federal government. He was a likeable and very interesting character, and he attracted students to work under his direction (while here for only three years, he guided nine theses).

Melvin J. Frost. At ASU from 1965 to 1985, Dr. Frost received a B.S. at Arizona State, an M.S. at Brigham Young, and a Ph.D. at the University of Florida (1964). He taught at Southern Mississippi one year, and then spent the rest of his academic career at ASU. Upon retirement, he went to Ghengdu, China to teach English for a year. Mel passed away on June 26th, 2004.

Terry G. Jordan was at ASU from 1965 to 1969. He earned a B.A. at Southern Methodist, an M.A. at the University of Texas, and a Ph.D. (1965) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He published extensively, but left ASU when North Texas State University offered him almost double his pay here, a promotion from Assistant Professor to Professor, and the chairmanship. In 1983 he went to the University of Texas as Walter Prescott Webb Chair in History and Ideas. He died of pancreatic cancer on October 16, 2003.

John W. Snaden. At ASU from 1965 to March, 1967, Snaden received his B.A. from Michigan State, and an M.A. and Ph.D. (1958) from the University of Michigan. He taught at several smaller schools before coming to ASU to replace Ed Thomas. He left ASU to go to the University of Nigeria, but unfortunately arrived there at the same time as a civil war started over Biafra. He went from there to teach at the University of Zambia. Dr. Snaden taught at a variety of other schools during his career.

Virgil R. Baker. Dr. Baker returned to the Geography Department in 1966. He retired in 1978 to Port Angeles, Washington where he taught part time for many years at a local community college.

Ray Henkel. At ASU from 1966 to 1995, Ray received his B.S. from ASU, and his M.S. and Ph.D. (1971) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was on a two year leave of absence to teach at the University of Zambia from 1971 to 1972, and another leave the Spring and Fall of 1986 to teach at New Mexico State. He retired in 1995.

Leslie Holmes. At ASU from 1967 to 1973, Dr. Holmes received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. (1941) degrees from the University of Illinois. He taught at Illinois State for thirteen years, and then became president at Northern Illinois University for nineteen years, from 1948 to 1967. He had a heart attack and died in Tempe on August 21, 1973.

Gerald (Jerry) E. Mueller. At ASU for the 1967-68 year, Mueller received a B.S. at the Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and an M.A. from ASU in Jan. 1968. After he left ASU he went to Johns Hopkins University and received a Ph.D. from there in 1973. He became a professor at New Mexico State University, and remained there until retirement.

Lanny C. Powell. A Temporary Visiting Professor for the 1967-68 year, he had a B.S. and M.S. from Illinois State University, and after he left ASU he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1971.

Larry Maxwell. At ASU from 1968 to 1975, he had an A.B. from Washington U., an M.S. from Perdue, and an M.A. and Ph.D. (1972) from UCLA. He left ASU to go to Sacramento to work for the state of California, where he remained until retirement.

As seen from the above, there was a high turnover in personnel throughout the 1960s. One reason for this was the fact that jobs at this time were readily available, but also there were “push” factors at work. This was not a happy time in the Geography Department, and there was internal dissention. It was obvious that changes were needed, and if geography was to prosper at Arizona State, a senior faculty member from another institution would have to be brought to the department as chairman in order to give the department a new start. The person selected, John Lounsbury, was Chairman of the Geography Department at Eastern Michigan University. He insisted on giving Eastern Michigan two years’ notice, so he didn’t begin service at Arizona State until 1969. At that time a new era in geography would begin at Arizona State. top

The Beginning of the Modern Era: 1969 to 1987
Many changes occurred in the geography program beginning in 1969. At that time, John Lounsbury was brought in as chairman, and three other faculty members were added, one an associate professor, Reid Wagstaff, an economic geographer interested in energy, and two assistant professors, Frank Aldrich, a biogeographer and cartographer, and Malcolm Comeaux, a cultural and historical geographer. The university made a commitment at this time to build the Geography Department into one of the finest in the nation.

The department soon began to add faculty members. Jim Acker entered the department in 1970, with a specific mandate to work with the entry-level human geography classes. The following year four positions were added. Robert Durrenberger was hired to organize and develop a climatology meteorology program. Also added that year were Donald McTaggart, who had research interests in Southeast Asia and urban geography, Robert Mings, a recreation geographer, and Charles Sargent, an urban-historical geographer. In 1972 Mayland Parker entered the department. Mayland’s B.A. and M.A. were in geography, but his Ph.D. was in agricultural economics. He spent seventeen years in ASU’s Division of Agriculture before coming into Geography. In January 1974, Melvin Marcus, a senior faculty member, came to this campus as head of the Environmental Center, an interdisciplinary center on campus. His research interests were in climatology and arctic and alpine environments. Six months later Tony Brazel, a climatologist, came to ASU after having spent four years at the University of Windsor. The following year Pat Gober, an urban and population geographer, and Leo Zonn, a social geographer, joined the department, with Gober as a replacement for Larry Maxwell.

The department was now established, and the changes that occurred after this date were replacements for faculty that left, with the lone exception being Guido Weigend who entered the department after resigning from the Dean’s position. It was obvious that Lounsbury’s goal was to make the department a broadly based department, with no tremendous strength in any one area. His goal had been to make geography at Arizona State a strong one within the discipline, with most of the sub-fields in geography taught by one or another of the faculty. He always stated that many departments around the country became over specialized, and were hurt in the process. This did not happen at Arizona State.

In the decade after 1975 no new positions were added to geography, but as persons left the university, others replaced them with similar specializations. When Wagstaff left, another person doing research in energy, Mike Pasqualetti, replaced him. When Baker resigned, another physical geographer, William Graf, replaced him. Durrenberger’s retirement in 1982 led to the hiring of Andrew Carleton, who left in 1985 to go to Indiana University. Randall Cerveny replaced him. Haring’s position was eventually filled by Kevin McHugh, a population and migration geographer; Frost’s (1985) by Jonathan Phillips, a geomorphologist; and Zonn’s (1986) by Annapurna Shaw, an urban-economic geographer. Parker retired (1987), and Breandan O’hUallachain, an economic geographer, replaced him. Figure 2 is a photograph of faculty members in the 1986-87 year. Figures 3 and 4 present the tenures of full-time faculty members for the 1966-1988 time frame.


Figure 2 (Click to enlarge)


Figure 3 (Click to enlarge)


Figure 4 - “Present” at the time was 1987.

In 1984 Guido Weigend, who had been dean of the College of Liberal Arts since 1976, entered the department as a professor. His major research interests were in political geography and Eastern Europe. In 1987 Elizabeth Burns joined the department as a professor after stepping down as chair of the Planning Department (in the College of Architecture). Her research interests were in urban geography and planning. In 1987 Robert Balling (who had been an adjunct faculty member since 1985) was added to the faculty to serve as Assistant Professor and as Assistant Director of the Laboratory of Climatology.

The climatology meteorology program has been particularly strong since the arrival of Durrenberger. On Sept. 22, 1973 the Board of Regents established the “State Climatology Program,” and the Laboratory of Climatology was started soon after. In July 1974, Durrenberger was named “State Climatologist,” a position he held until 1979. Tony Brazel was later selected as State Climatologist, and Director of the Laboratory of Climatology. Since establishment, it has been located a mile north of campus (and across the Salt River).

Facilities to house the Geography Department were always a problem. A building specifically for the Geography Department had been promised to Prof. Lounsbury upon his arrival, but between 1968 and 1979, the department had made three moves, from the Agriculture Building, to the Academic Services Building, to the Language and Literature Building. In 1979, however, the department moved into the Classroom Office Building. It had been designed for the Geography Department, but just before it was finished, because of a press for space, the Division of Construction was also moved into “our” building. In spite of the loss of space, the facilities are excellent, and the geographers are happy in what will possibly be their permanent home, although talk of another move surfaces every once in a while. (When the Division of Construction moved out of the building in about 2001, the Geography Department gained much of their former space.)

There are several other examples of how the university has made a commitment to geography. The position of “technician” was added in July 1979. The technician maintains the department’s equipment, and Ken Evans first filled this role. In 1985 a cartographer was added to the staff, Charlie Rader. Barbara Trapido-Lurie, who remains as staff cartographer, replaced him in 1987. Having a cartographer greatly aided the faculty in publications and teaching, and helped undergraduate and graduate students both in and outside the classroom. It was also at this time that the university began an effort to equip all faculty members with computers, and by 1987 most faculty members had IBM PCs. By 1987 Frank Aldrich was attempting to receive funding to support a major research interest in geographic information systems.

Several members of the department have been actively involved in the directing of various centers on campus. When directing such a center, a professor is usually one half time with the center, and one half time in their department. Those individuals directing centers were:

Mel Marcus Environmental Studies, 1974-77
John Lounsbury Environmental Studies, 1977-80
Tony Brazel Laboratory of Climatology, 1979-89
Will Graf Center for Southwest Studies, 1982-84
Mel Marcus Acting Director of the Lab. of Climatology while Brazel was on sabbatical, 1982-83
Ray Henkel Acting Director of the Latin American Center, while the Director was on sabbatical, 1985-86

Members of the Geography Department have also been very active on the national scene. There are two major academic organizations for professional geographers, the Association of American Geographers (AAG) and the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) and it should be specifically noted that geographers at Arizona State University were president of both organizations during this period. Mel Marcus was president of the AAG in 1977-78, and John Lounsbury was president of the NCGE in 1979-80.

In addition to his duties as chair at Eastern Michigan University and later at Arizona State University, Dr. Lounsbury served as Director of the Commission on College Geography throughout its lifespan (1963-75). The Commission was a national level organization under the auspices of the AAG, and its activities were fully supported by a series of grants from the National Science Foundation. With Lounsbury’s arrival in 1969, the department and university became the Commission’s “Central Office.” The Commission proved to be an excellent promotional device for the department. On many occasions, the full Commission and several of its panels met on or near campus for two to four-day meetings. During these meetings the visiting geographers had the opportunity to learn about the department and meet the faculty. On all the Commission’s widely circulated publications the department and university’s names were displayed, and a large volume of correspondence went out from the department to all areas of the world. Thus, at a critical stage, the Commission provided the department with a high level of national visibility that otherwise would not have been possible.

Although its lifespan was only one year (1974-1975), the Environmental Based Education Project also served as good public relations for the department on the national scene. The project, supported by the Division of Environmental Education and Technology, U.S. Department of Education, brought many geographers to campus, and correspondence and resulting publications did much to publicize the department. John Lounsbury, Melvin Marcus and Robert Mings worked on the project on a released-time basis as Project Director, Chair of the Steering Committee, and one of the Principal Investigators respectively. Many other geographers and persons in other fields at several other universities and/or agencies were also involved.

Since the early 1970s Geography Department members have been competing for, and receiving, grants. The significance of grants to the department has grown with time, and more and more faculty members are receiving grants. In many years departmental members have received well over $100,000 in grants. Granting agencies have ranged from national organizations, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society, to local agencies, like the Salt River Project. Grants are important in that the nature of much research today necessitates outside funding, and grants often are used to support graduate students and provide release time to faculty in order that they have the time to do the research.

The departmental Chairpersons from 1969 to 1987 were as follows:

1969-77 John Lounsbury
1977-80 Mel Marcus
1980-84 Don McTaggart
1984-1991 Pat Gober

In the early years of the university, chairpersons remained in the job almost for life, but beginning in the mid 1970s the department and university went to the concept of the chair rotating among members of the department. Now, more members of the department can be expected to handle this responsibility. The nominal term of office is four years.

On July 1, 1978, Arizona State joined the Pacific Athletic Conference (now called the PAC-10). After this date, academic programs at this school were compared to those at other PAC-10 schools. As a result, the Department of Geography at ASU is now compared to other geography departments in PAC-10 schools that award the doctorate, such as the universities of Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, California at both Los Angeles and Berkeley, as well as our sister institution in Tucson. In this one respect, athletics has had an impact on academics.

A main goal of the department has always been the training of undergraduate students. Geography has offered the B.A. and B.S. degrees since establishment of the department, and as far back as May 1947, when the B.S. was first offered, students majoring in geography could choose between the B.A. and B.S. options. Both programs require thirty hours of geography, and fifteen hours of courses in selected areas. As the titles imply, one is designed to give the student more of an “arts” background, while the other is designed to present a more “scientific” orientation. By the early 1980s the department had also instituted an “Area Studies Emphasis.” This consisted of a B.A. with requirements in geography, with additional requirements in the fields of Asian Studies or Latin American Studies. At about this same time the department also started two “Special Emphasis” B.S. programs, one in urban studies, and the other in meteorology climatology. These special programs were quite successful.

Over the years the department has housed numerous visitors and adjunct professors. This was particularly true for the 1969-87 era, which will be covered here. In 1987 the adjunct professors were 1) Ron Alberty of the National Weather Service, 2) Jon Amato of the Arizona Department of Commerce, 3) David Berry of the Arizona Corporation Commission, 4) Joseph Gardner of Gardner and Associates, 5) Sherwood Idso of the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, and 6) Larry Stephenson of the Glendale Planning Department. Leslie Holmes taught classes for us as an adjunct from 1967 to 1973. Robert Balling has worn a number of hats in the department. In 1984-85 he was an adjunct professor and faculty associate in the Laboratory of Climatology. In 1985-86 he filled in as a Visiting Assistant Professor before Randy Cerveny came on board. Starting in 1987 Bob joined the faculty in a tenure tract line with responsibility for teaching one-half time and serving as assistant director of the Laboratory of Climatology. In addition to adjuncts, David Pijawka from the College of Public Programs holds a courtesy appointment in the department. Visitors to the department over these years include Jerome Dobson from Oak Ridge National Laboratory who replaced Mike Pasqualetti on leave in the Fall of 1983, and was here as a Distinguished Honors Professor; Francois Gay from the University of Rouen in France in the Spring of 1975; Robert Hale, who taught physical geography for most of a year (Jan. to Oct. 1985); Jane Soons, a physical geographer from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand (Spring of 1980); and Dianne Whalley who taught courses in urban geography and statistics for one year (1984-85). In addition, both Bob Mings and Don McTaggart engineered exchanges, bringing to the department John Fernie from Huddersfield Polytechnic in Great Britain (1981-92) and Dean Louder from Laval University in Canada (1985-86). A regular feature in the department for years was Sid Ekblaw. Sid etired from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and moved to Scottsdale. He taught classes at ASU from 1970 to 1973 as a visiting professor, and taught occasionally after that. For years Sid would come to campus on Tuesdays and Fridays, and on those days lunches became social occasions organized by him.

Once the doctoral program was established, it became common practice to have most senior Ph.D. students given complete responsibility for a class or two before they graduated. It was good training for the students to have taught before they went on the job market, and it gave them an advantage over other job applicants who had not. It also helped the department and university as more courses could be taught. top

Reaching Prominence: 1987 to 2005
Many changes occurred in the department between 1987 and 2005. With the arrival of Richard Aspinall as the new chairman, this is a convenient spot to end another era in the history of the department, and it would be an excellent time to chronicle departmental changes of the last eighteen years.

Malcolm L. Comeaux

Foreward
This latest chapter in the history of the department may be characterized as one of stability and growth. There was amazing stability in faculty, with only three professors leaving ASU to go elsewhere (although there were retirements and one death). Most geography faculty had long tenures at ASU. It was also an era of stability in terms of programs, physical facilities, and congeniality among faculty members. This was also an era of growth in stature of the department, and new thrusts. The development of computers and geographic information systems had a major impact, as the department adjusted and changed for these new technologies (for example, cartography is now taught on computers, and pen-and-ink maps are no longer made). There was also change in our outreach to alumni and k-12 teachers across the state, as well as outreach to other disciplines. It was in this latest era when the department matured, and literally “came of age.”

The “official” end for this section of the history is with the 2004-05 year. But, in charts, it ends with 2004, as this is the time when all results for a year are compiled (as for example the number of graduate degrees completed). The verbal section of this paper, however, continues the history of the department up to mid-summer, 2005.

The Faculty
There has been a significant change in the hiring of faculty since 1987. In earlier years when faculty retired or left, the “line” stayed with the department, and the department could hire replacements. Today each faculty line must be defended and the department must convince the dean that lines in the department be maintained, and that new lines be added. As a rule, geography has benefitted by this rule, as past chairs have effectively argued for new hires. The faculty now stands at nineteen (plus two academic professionals, one of whom also teaches classes), making it one of the larger departments in the country, and size does matter.

ASU’s Geography Department is now one of the best in the United States, with a ranking of fifteenth among Ph.D. granting departments in 1995. In the next ranking we should rise even further. Most of the faculty are now very active researchers who publish their work and present papers at regional and national meetings. Some are also very active in professional organizations, and have been elected to national office. All of this activity gives greater visibility to this department. The faculty additions since 1988 are the following:

Robert Balling works in the field of climatology, and came to Arizona State University in December of 1984. His Ph.D. was from Oklahoma, and briefly taught at the University of Nebraska, and then moved here. He first worked in the Climate Lab paying his salary by acquiring grants. In 1985-86, he was a temporary replacement for Andrew Carlton, who left ASU rather suddenly. He returned to working in the lab for a year, but in 1987 accepted a tenure track position.

Another person accepting a tenure track position in 1987 was Breandan O’hUallachain. Breandan was born and raised in Ireland, received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1982, and from that year to 1987 taught at Northwestern University. He is an economic geographer, and had a major impact on the department for seven years as chair.

Two individuals were hired in 1988. Ronald Dorn, a geomorphologist (a specialist in the geography of rock varnish dating) came to ASU in 1988. His Ph.D. is from UCLA (1985), and he taught at Texas Tech for three years before coming to ASU. A second person hired that year was Michael Kuby. Mike came to ASU with a newly minted Ph.D. from Boston Univ., and he specializes in geographic modeling, with an emphasis on quantitative methods, transportation, economic geography, as well as geographic education.

Patricia Fall came to ASU as a bio-geographer (with interests in quaternary studies, palynology and macro fossils) in 1989 after receiving her Ph.D. at the Univ. of Arizona in geosciences (the same year her husband, also a Ph.D. from the UofA in anthropology, accepted a position in the Department of Anthropology at ASU).

In 1990 Daniel Arreola accepted a position as Associate Professor. His Ph.D. is from UCLA (1980), and he taught for several years at the U. of Arizona, and then at Texas A&M before coming to ASU. Dan is a cultural geographer specializing on U.S.-Mexico border issues.

Rodrigo Sierra came to ASU from San Diego State, and was here from 1996 to 2001, when he left to accept a position at the University of Texas, Austin. A Latin American specialist, Rodrigo is from Ecuador, and has a Ph.D. (1994) from Ohio State University.

In 1997 two additions were made to the faculty. Elizabeth Wentz came to ASU as a GIS specialist after completing her Ph.D. at Penn State. That same year Andrew Ellis was hired as a temporary replacement for Mel Marcus. The following year, Drew, a climatologist with a Ph.D. from the Univ. of Delaware, accepted a tenure track appointment.

Two faculty came to ASU in 200l. Joseph Zehnder came to ASU’s Geography Department as professor after having spent time at the UofA working in their Atmospheric Sciences department. He was brought to ASU to strengthen the climate program. His Ph.D. (1986) was in meteorology from the Univ. of Chicago. Also hired in 2000 was Robert Edsall. Rob received a Ph.D. from Penn State in 2000, and specializes is cartography and geovisualization.

Eric Keys received a Ph.D. from Clark University in cultural geography, and came to ASU in 2002. He is particularly interested in global environmental change, Latin America, and tropical agriculture.

2003 saw two faculty members enter the department. Mark Schmeeckle (Ph.D. from the Univ. of Colorado in 1998) came to ASU after three years at Florida State University. Mark has a great interest in Japan, and spent three years there, the last two in a post-doctoral fellowship. He is a fluvial geomorphologist, with particular interest in sediment transport and surface water processes. The other person added that year was Christopher Lukinbeal. Chris earned a Ph.D. in 2000 in the joint program of San Diego State Univ. and the Univ. of California, Santa Barbara. He taught at Southern Connecticut State Univ. for three years before coming to ASU. He is a social/urban geographer, with special interest in geography and film, GIS, and computer cartography. Figure 5 presents a photograph of the faculty for the 2003-04 year.


Figure 5 (Click to enlarge)

The last geographer hired in this period was Richard Aspinall (Ph.D. from the Univ. of Hull in 1982). Richard was hired in 2004 to be the new chair of the Geography Department. He comes to ASU from Montana State University, and previously had spent two years working for the National Science Foundation. His major research interests are in GIS, land use, and environmental modeling.

The department also has a “lecturer” position. When Don McTaggart left in 1994 to accept a full-time position as Director of International Programs at ASU, the department was given a lecturer position. The person in this position does not have tenure, but is given three-year contracts. The first person to fill this position (1994-97) was Xiao-Lun Wang, who resigned to return to China. Eva Humbeck was lecturer from 1997 to 2000, and resigned to become a full-time homemaker. Since then it has been J. Duncan Shaeffer (who is also responsible for undergraduate advising). Another second lecturer was hired for the 2004-05 year, Elizabeth Larson-Keagy. She was hired as a temporary replacement for Pat Gober, as Pat received release time for a large grant that she had to administer. Figure 6 shows in graph form the tenure of faculty members for the 1988-2005 years.


Figure 6

There was an amazing stability among the geography faculty at Arizona State. In going through the records it was found that only three tenure-track faculty left ASU (and several, while offered jobs at other schools, chose to stay). Teaching at ASU from 1986 to 1989 was Annapurna Shaw. She left to return to India for employment at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, where she remains. Jonathan D. Phillips taught at ASU from 1986 to 1988. He left to return to his roots in eastern North Carolina, and for nine years taught at East Carolina University, before moving to Texas A&M, and then to the Univ. of Kentucky. Finally, Rodrigo Sierra left ASU to accept a position at the Univ. of Texas (at ASU from 1996-2001).

As we go into the future, we can report that Betsy Burns retired in the summer of 2005, and three new faculty members will be with us for the 2005-06 year. Paul Torrens has a Ph.D. in Geography from University College, London, and has been at the University of Utah since 2003. His research is in geosimulation and spatial modeling. Kelli Larson has a Ph.D. in Geography from Oregon State, and this is her first academic position. Her research is in water management. She is appointed to the first faculty line that is shared between Geography and the International Institute for Sustainability. Soe Myint is from Myanmar, and he will join us in January, 2006. His Ph.D. is from Louisiana State University (2001). He is a specialist in remote sensing, and comes to us from the University of Oklahoma. We look forward to having these three join us.

Retired Faculty
Although many faculty members were hired in the past seventeen years, there were also many retirements and one death. Mel Marcus was in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado on March 2, 1997 when he passed away. It was spring break at the time, and he had taken his “Snow and Ice” class to do some field research at very high elevations. He had just checked on some students digging a snow pit, and was walking back to his car when he suffered a heart attack and died, with his faithful Akita dog at his side. He was cremated and his ashes spread in the San Juan Mountains he loved so well.

Those faculty retiring were:

John Lounsbury – 1987 (John died Dec. 26, 2003)
Guido Weigend – 1989 (still living in the Valley)
Jim Acker – 1990 (still living in the Valley)
Charles Sargent – 1993 (Chuck spent the first 10 years of retirement giving lectures on cruise ships, but is now largely retired from this hobby)
Ray Henkel – 1995 (Ray still lives in the Valley)
Robert Mings – 1997 (still living in the Valley)
Don McTaggart – 1998 (living in Albuquerque)
Frank Aldrich – 2000 (still living in the Valley)
Malcolm Comeaux – 2001 (still living in the Valley)
Will Graf – 2001 (accepted an academic position at the Univ. of South Carolina)
Elizabeth Burns – 2005 (she plans to retire to Marfa, Texas)

Two professors who retired prior to 1987 and still living are:
Virgil Baker – 1955-61, 1966-78 (living in Port Angeles, Washington)
Robert Durrenberger – 1971-82 (living in Sun City, AZ)

Three professors who retired prior to 1987 have died since then, are:
George Renner (1951-1970) passed away Feb. 15, 1996
Mayland Parker (in agriculture from 1955 to 1972, and then from 1972-86 in geography) died Nov. 15, 1995
Melvin Frost (at ASU from 1965 to 1985) died on June 26, 2004.

Chairpersons
There were only three chairs of the Geography Department in the past seventeen years. They were: Pat Gober, 1984 to 1991, Tony Brazel, 1991-1997, and Breandan O’hUallachain, interim chair beginning in May 1997, and then chair from 1998 to 2004. The chair to lead us into the next era will be Richard Aspinall, who was selected in a national search, and who began in Fall, 2004.

Some Awards and Honors for Faculty Members
This is a large department at ASU, and it is difficult to list all awards and honors received by the faculty. Therefore, this will be but a brief listing of the highlights since 1987, including those with national and regional recognition.

Dan Arreola was president of the Assoc. of Pacific Coast Geographers, 1997-98
Dan Arreola won the 2003 John Brinckerhoff Jackson Award for his book, Tejano South Texas
Tony Brazel was president of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, 1997
Betsy Burns was president of the Assoc. of Pacific Coast Geographers, 1994-95
Randy Cerveny was appointed Presidential Professor in April, 2005
Malcolm Comeaux received the Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award (1997) from the National Council for Geographic Education, and the Distinguished Teaching Honors (2002) from the Association of American Geographers
Ron Dorn received a Guggenheim Fellowship, 1996-97
Will Graf received a Guggenheim Fellowship, 1993
Will Graf appointed Regents Professor (1994)
Will Graf was President of the Association of American Geographers, 1998-99
Pat Gober was President of the Association of American Geographers, 1997-98

Staff Personnel
The Geography Department receives strong staff support. We have one person who is the business manager handling the major paperwork of the department. There is a front office supervisor, and she handles the day-to-day duties of the office, as well as assisting students, helping faculty and those who walk in, and supervising student workers. There is a half-time graduate coordinator who handles the paperwork of graduate students, and another full-time secretary who used to work in the Office of Climatology, but who retired and her replacement’s duties are helping in this department.

Academic Professionals
Academic Professionals are employed by the ASU in a support role, but they are well educated, sometimes can have tenure, and some are expected to teach courses. Those employed under that category in the Geography Department are listed below.

Barbara Trapido-Lurie came to ASU in 1987 as a staff cartographer, and her title now is Senior Research Professional. Barbara teaches some courses in cartography (all of the cartography taught at ASU is now done on computers), and she is responsible for making maps and graphics (some of which are done by students under her supervision, and again–all on computers). The quality and professionalism of faculty publications and presentations has gone up immeasurably because of Barbara’s work. Barbara is also in charge of the department’s internship program.

Talbot Brooks came to the department in January, 2001 as an Assistant Research Professional (replacing Russell Vose). He was hired to maintain departmental computing resources, teach one class a semester and participate in service activities. His responsibilities expanded to include capturing and performing sponsored research activities, and participating in local and national service activities. He has an M.S. in Plant Biology, and had plans to complete a Ph.D. in geography. As of 2004, he had garnered enough grants to support 28 undergraduate and graduate students, at the same time giving them valuable experience in the GIS field. He left ASU in early 2005 to go to Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, to head up that school’s GIS program. Replacing Talbot is Scott Barry who began work in May of 2005.

Alan Church, came to ASU in Jan. 2004 with the title Technology Support Analyst Senior. He is a half-time employee, and replaced Maria Farmer. Alan also is responsible for the department’s web page.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Lab and Courses
The department has developed itself as a hub of GIS in Arizona. There is now a state-of-the-art computer lab, which is used mostly for GIS purposes. Talbot Brooks was hired to build and maintain this lab as an information technologist, and when he left Scott Barry was hired to do this job.

GIS was pioneered by Frank Aldrich, but with the hiring of Dr. Wentz in 1997, Rob Edsall in 2000, and Richard Aspinall in 2004, the department made a strong commitment to GIS. The dean at the time this began in the 1990s, Dr. Gary Krahenbuhl, was very helpful (it could not have happened without administrative support and assistance). There was rapid expansion in this area, including the development of a cohesive sequence of GIS courses. Soon, the department was producing students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels who were competent in GIS, and quite employable. There is now a Geographic Information Science Interdisciplinary Certificate, a graduate level program that allows ASU students as well as GIS professionals with advanced degrees to learn how to apply GIS concepts and technology for purposes of spatial analysis. An undergraduate GIS certificate, as well as a Masters of Applied Science program in GIS, were established in 2003-04, and are now in place, and both are quickly developing into successes (Appendix D lists the names of the first 17 recipients of this new master’s degree.)

Talbot Brooks, although a short time in the department, was a “mover and shaker” in the development of GIS at ASU, and in developing on-going partnerships with local agencies. He developed a plan with GIS industry leader ESRI (2003), in which ESRI used the geography department’s computer lab for intensive 1 to 5-day training courses. This partnership brought new training opportunities to local GIS professionals, and helped support ongoing computer replacement. Talbot also worked with local governments, receiving grants to create accurate spatial databases. These programs helped local agencies, but at the same time it provided support and experience to students as they worked their way through ASU. He left ASU in early 2005.

The Friends for Geography
The Friends for Geography (FFG) is a support group for the department. It was founded in 1991 soon after Tony Brazel became chair. The Friends goal is to maintain contact with our alumni, hold occasional field trips, raise money for endowments for the department, and help host an annual Awards Banquet (the first was held in 1992, although there were earlier banquets organized by the geography honor society, GTU). The Friends has a set of bylaws, a Board to help run the organization (that meets once or twice a year), and has a newsletter, named Latitudes, that appears usually three times per year. Dues to belong is set at $25 per year for a “Friend,” $100 for a “Supporter,” $250 for a “Patron,” and $500 for a “Benefactor” (and yes, there was a Benefactor or two).

One major goal of the Friends was to raise money for endowments for the department. The first of these, the Henkel Undergraduate Award, began when an alumnus, Dorothy Janca (B.A., 1969, M.A., 1977), offered to support such an award. It was quickly realized that for the award to be permanent, we needed an endowment, so the Friends organization was established. An endowment requires a minimum of $10,000. An endowment with the minimum amount, $10,000, will last forever, and generate about $500 per year (the actual payout is determined by the ASU Foundation, which holds and invests the money). The Friends soon began to work with the department to raise money for endowments, starting with the Henkel Award. The first endowment is always the hardest to achieve, but within six years there was an endowment (although the first Henkel Award was bestowed in 1990).

An “Awards Committee” (consisting of three faculty) was established to be sure the monies are given to deserving students, and each spring the committee reviews proposals, selects winners, and decides how much money they receive if there is more than one winner.

Endowments
The first endowment established was the Henkel Undergraduate Award, which was formally established in 1996 (although the Friends had earlier started awarding the Henkel Award in 1990 from money raised). This award goes to the student(s) who is a junior (and not a recent transfer into the department) with a minimum number of hours, and has the highest grade point average. There is also a permanent plaque in the department where the names of winners are placed. In most years there was only one winner, but on several occasions there were two winners, and in 2004 there were four winners. (Appendix C presents the names of the winners of various awards and scholarships.)

The second award established was the Matthew Bailey Scholarship, which honors the memory of Matt. He was majoring in geography (Japanese minor) when he died tragically in an accident involving the department van while on a field trip. He spent considerable time in Japan, studying the language and culture, and loved being in the field. His father holds a Ph.D. in geography, and greatly supported the scholarship. The money was raised, and the scholarship established in 1998. It supports student field work, and undergraduates are encouraged to apply.

The third endowment was the Mel Marcus Scholarship, established in 1999. This scholarship supports graduate students in any designated need associated with a research project.

With the retirement of Malcolm Comeaux, departmental chair Breandan O’hUallachain and the Friends honored him by raising money for the “Comeaux Lecture Series.” The money necessary was raised within a year, and the fund was established in late 2001. This fund brings in a “big name” geographer to give an evening lecture in early spring semester, where students, faculty and Friends are invited.

In honor of John Lounsbury’s 85th birthday (Oct. 18, 2003), Chairman O’hUallachain and Malcolm Comeaux, in support of the Friends, decided to try to raise money for the “John Lounsbury Travel Fund.” John and his family agreed to have his name attached to this fund, and fund-raising began. The money was raised within a few months, but unfortunately, it was formally established several months after John’s death. The money generated from this fund is given to an incoming graduate student(s) to support travel to attend an academic conference and present a paper. In this way, students can meet and interact with the “movers and shakers” in their specialty, and these contacts help in acquiring jobs and furthering careers. John was always very supportive of such ideas.

A listing of winners of various departmental endowment awards is given in Appendix E.

Geographic Alliance
The National Geographic Society (NGS), in the mid-1980s, decided to support geographic education in the United States. To do this, NGS established the “Alliance” network.

Each state (plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam) was offered $50,000 per year, if a match could be found. NGS expected that each alliance would have one or two coordinators, and that at least one would be from a university, and have tenure (as it can be an all-consuming task). The Coordinators were expected to be politically active, getting the match from a source (usually a state legislature).

Each alliance sent nine teachers to NGS headquarters in D. C. for training. These teachers, known as teacher consultants (TCs), with the coordinators, became the core of each alliance. Each state alliance held summer workshops, where other teachers were trained, and in turn they also became TCs. These teachers and coordinators were expected to work politically to get geography accepted and taught in the state’s school system. At the beginning of this movement geography was generally not taught in America’s school systems, but this began to change with the alliance network, and support of NGS.

Bob Mings and Malcolm Comeaux assumed leadership of the Arizona Geographic Alliance in 1991. By 1992 they had received a $10,000 planning grant, and the groundwork began. Bob and Malcolm selected and sent nine teachers to NGS for training, and began the lobbying work to get the $50,000 match. In 1994 the match was acquired. In the first ten years of operation the Arizona Geographic Alliance (AzGA) raised about $1,000,000 for geography education in the state, and major impacts were felt. Within a few years, for the first time, we had a freshman declare geography a major upon entering ASU. Now, geography is taught in most schools, is a part of the school requirements demanded by the state, and is one of the subjects tested on the state level. When Bob retired, Ron Dorn took his position as co-coordinator, and when Malcolm retired, a recently-retired school teacher and TC, Gale Ekiss, took his place.

In the past several years, NGS has changed the method of funding. Rather than give each state $50,000 (i.e. Texas got the same as Rhode Island), grants were awarded on a competitive basis. The Arizona Geographic Alliance (AzGA) network of teachers is a very good one, and they had several ideas as to what grants we should pursue. Ron, meanwhile, is very good at grant writing, and the first request was for $85,000 to develop lessons that integrated geography into reading. It was completed under the guidance of Gale, and was a great success, winning major national awards. Since then, a similar grant was received to integrate math and geography ($79,000), and it is on track for completion (and it too will be a great success).

The Alliance is very involved with teachers in several ways. It has an annual conference in the fall (GeoFest), and about 120 teachers from around the state attend. The Alliance also holds a spring event just for the TCs (the “TC Conference”). It is held in various cities and towns around the state. They also hold a field trip (called a “GeoDay Trip”) each semester. The biggest event held is a two-week residential institute held every other year, and teachers who attend that become the inner cadre--the TCs. Also, every few years, and “advanced institute” is held just for TCs.

AzGA continues to receive much support from ASU’s Geography Department. They have generously given AzGA office and storage space, and in the early stages of the alliance, helped in many ways. Without their help and support, this outreach to k-12 education in the state could not have happened. Today, AzGA is one of the strongest alliances in America, and has one of the best reputations.

The Office of Climatology
This unit dates back to 1974 when it was established as the Laboratory of Climatology. The guiding force behind this lab was Bob Durrenberger. At this time the federal government was getting rid of the state climate duties within NOAA, and it was given to the states to decide how to handle this function. Arizona finally decided to establish a “State Climatologist” appointed by the governor, with this person to be housed within a Laboratory of Climatology at ASU as a free-standing unit. The Lab was expected to serve the public and various agencies (state and private) by providing historical data and doing research. When labs were re-defined as multi-disciplinary, the Lab was demoted to the “Office of Climatology (in 1991), and moved under the Department of Geography. It is located a mile north of the campus (and across the Salt River), in ASU’s Community Service Building.

The directors have been Bob Durrenberger (1973-79), Tony Brazel (1979-89), Bob Balling (1989-04), and since then it has been Drew Ellis. The office of the Arizona State Climatologist is housed within the Office of Climatology. The State Climatologists have been Bob Durrenberger (1973-79), Tony Brazel (1979-99), and then later Russ Vose (a Ph.D. student at the time), and now Drew Ellis. The Office of Climatology (as well as the earlier Lab) has had a full-time secretary, and for 24 years Sandra Brazel (Wardwell) was a half-time Faculty Research Associate helping to support the group, and co-authoring many papers with department members.

The Department Bounces Back from Tragedy
On Saturday, February 7th, 1998, there was a horrible accident involving the department van. A faculty member had organized a trip to the copper mine in Bagdad, and Malcolm asked if members of GTU and the Friends group could tag along. A student was driving the van, and ahead of the van was chairman O’hUallachain driving his personal van. There were nine persons in the departmental van, including three members of the Friends. When exiting the Interstate, the van rolled and three people seriously injured. One, Matthew G. Bailey, an undergraduate student, died soon after, and a graduate student, Helga Dunn, was paralyzed. The third seriously injured passenger, a member of the Friends, recovered. Others in the van received cuts and bruises, broken bones as well as emotional scaring.

It was a traumatic time for everyone in the department. It brought out the generous spirit of people, inspired faculty and students to pull together in the face of adversity, and clarified for us the value of working in the field to the very identity of a geographer. Not once did we consider abandoning field trips for students. Indeed, the father of our deceased student (himself a Ph.D. in geography) gave generously to support field work, and a donor replaced the van (with a suburban), so once again the department has a vehicle. Field trips remain very much a part of the education for ASU geographers.

Interdisciplinary Connections
A significant milestone was the selection of a new president for the University in 2002, Michael Crow. President Crow had a different vision for the university, and immediately began encouraging greater co-operation among researchers, and encouraging the “entrepreneurial approach” in that faculty increase the number and value of grants received. This had started under the direction of the previous president, Lattie Coor, but it gained extra momentum with President Crow. As a part of this movement (which can be found in almost all American universities), departmental members have worked closely with others across the campus, and this cooperation leads to inter-disciplinary cross-fertilization, and the ability to handle much larger grants.

Examples of this is the cooperation with groups across campus, includes work with the Center for Environmental Studies, the Morrison Institute, the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy, the Central Arizona Phoenix–Long Term Ecological Research, the Urban Ecology IGERT Program, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Asian Studies, the Consortium for Rapidly Urbanization Regions, and Greater Phoenix 2100, among others. This cooperation has resulted in many direct and in-direct consequences. There has been more funding for individual research projects, the names of geographers are on more publications, and there has been more funding for graduate students as a result of this collaboration. As well, faculty members participate in four interdisciplinary graduate certificate programs, and these are the: 1) Transportation Certificate; 2) Geographic Information Science Certificate; 3) Atmospheric Science Certificate; 4) Gerontology Certificate Program.

Acquiring Grants
Our new President Crow is very interested in the university acquiring grants. While geography is not a grant-rich discipline, ASU geographers have been aggressively seeking grants, and with some success. As this is being written two geographers were notified that they received grants from the National Science Foundation. Pat Fall is one of five “Principal Investigators” who received a $1,500,000 grant to study biodiversity, and Pat Gober is the Principal Investigator of a $6,900,000 grant to study decision making under climatic uncertainty. The grant monies received by departmental members in the past seven years are as follows:

1997 - $425,140
1998 - $350,553
1999 - $872,866
2000 - $490,874
2001 - $296,812
2002 - $847,267
2003 - $553,175
2004 - in the millions

The Annual Awards Banquet
The Department has a large annual banquet on a Friday evening at the end of each academic year. Normally 60 to 110 people attend, made up of alumni, faculty, students, as well as members of the “Friends” group. This banquet started in the 1970s with a GTU picnic held in late spring. It evolved into a formal GTU Annual Spring Banquet, and the first one that can be proven was in 1981 (where the cost to attend was $11). With establishment of the “Friends” group in 1992, they took over the task of hosting the Annual Banquet, that was hereafter called the “Annual Awards Banquet.” Beginning with the retirement of Malcolm Comeaux in 2001, the Department began to take charge of the organization of the banquet, but with continued help and guidance from the Friends. All of these banquets have been grand successes, and a good time is had by all. top

The Graduate Program
The Thirteenth Legislature authorized the first graduate program at Arizona State, The Master of Arts in Education, in March 1937, and students entered this program the following summer. In 1939 the first M.A. in Ed. with an emphasis in geography was awarded. It was granted to Malcolm F. Miller (now deceased, but he had a career with the federal government, and retired to Clarkdale), and his thesis was titled “The Status of Geography in the Curriculums of American Universities.” Geography, however, was in a state of flux through the 1940s, and few students took graduate work in geography. With the arrival of George Renner in 1951 geography once again was on firm footing, and growth of the graduate program could begin.

The 1950 catalog stated that to receive an M.A. in Ed., a person had to take a minimum of thirty hours, and at least “Fifteen semester hours of credit in courses selected in consultation with the graduate adviser and directed toward the field of specialization.” The vast majority of students specialized in areas of education, but a few specialized in geography, under the heading of “Secondary Science Education” (later “secondary Physical Science Education”). Geography always was accepted as a specialization under “Science Education,” and this was specifically spelled out in the 1961 catalog. Geography was listed as an acceptable area of “Physical Science Education,” along with chemistry, geology, and physics. Geography was not an accepted field of study for “Social Studies Education,” which was reserved for the fields of history and political science. This was probably because geography, since its inception at ASU, was considered a science, and for a long time was in the Science Department.

Those persons who received an M.A. in Ed. with a specialization in geography are listed in Appendix A. There are probably missing names, but these are the only ones known at this time. These names were taken from the “corrected” commencement bulletins (which, up to 1958 did not list the area of specialization, and many persons during this period probably specialized in geography) and from the list of theses on file in the ASU Archives (but, unfortunately, many could have taken the “non thesis” option). This program was abandoned in 1979 and replaced with the Master of Education degree.

The Board of Regents authorized a graduate program in geography on April 9th, 1962, with an effective date of July 1st of that year. The Geography Department was now allowed to grant the M.A. degree, and David L. Anderson earned the first in 1964 (he later earned a Ph.D. in geography from Northwestern in 1971). This M.A. program was very much a success as seen in Appendix B, and the fact that many graduates moved on to advanced degrees, or have become successful in government or in the business world.

The Spatial Analysis of Land Use Program was established as a special option within the existing Master of Arts in geography. It was established in 1976, under the guidance of John Lounsbury, and two large grants were received, one from the National Science Foundation ($189,850) and one from the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation ($98,400). They were designed to help get this program started, and these funds were needed as three institutions (Arizona State, Michigan State and Florida State) cooperated in a two and one half year program to help establish this program. An Advisory Committee of nationally prominent individuals was created to help develop a curriculum relevant in the area of land use. It was designed to prepare graduates for applied research in private firms and in governmental work, as well as to prepare them for doctoral work in this area. Therefore, a tightly structured curriculum was developed, leaving little room for electives. This was the very beginning of the strong interest in applied geography in the United States, and it led to the annual Applied Geography Conference and many publications. This option was a resounding success, and brought much publicity and recognition to Arizona State University. Many departments around the country copied this program. Since the retirement of Prof. Lounsbury, this part of the graduate program slowly ended, and it is no longer considered one of our strengths.

Plans to develop a Ph.D. program in geography began with the appointment of John Lounsbury as Professor and Chairman in the fall of 1969. He was instructed to begin the work of instituting a Ph.D. program, and planning started very soon after his arrival. Dr. Lounsbury, then a member of the ASU’s Graduate Council, along with a committee of selected Graduate Council members, began a series of meetings that resulted in the Board of Regents approving the program on October 23, 1972, and it became effective the following year. The North Central Association approved it for accreditation in the spring of 1973. The original purpose of this new Ph.D. program was to focus on one area of specialization resource use and development and this remained the focus of the program during the early years. The first person to be awarded the Ph.D. in geography from Arizona State was Zacchaeus (Sunday) Famisa, in 1977. He was a student from Nigeria who is now teaching at the Univ. of Ife, in Ife, Nigeria. Like the M.A. program, the Ph.D. program has been a success (Appendix C), and has given the department and university national stature, visibility, and recognition.

Since 1987 there have been some obvious shifts in departmental trends in regards the graduate program. One of these is the greater emphasis on the Ph.D. program, and the encouragement of the best M.A. students to stay at ASU to continue through to the Ph.D. Changes can also be seen in the emphasis of graduate students (Fig. 7) in the past twenty years.


Figure 7 (Click to enlarge)

The department has been particularly strong in climatology and in physical geography (as opposed to many department around the country who may have only one or two faculty members in these specialties). It can be noted in the listing of theses and dissertations that many students finish their degrees in these areas. Fortunately for ASU and these students, it has been a time when many departments around the nation were hiring in these areas, and so most were offered good academic positions. Throughout this time (1987-2005), the department maintained a strong commitment to human geography in general, and many students completed advanced degrees in the broad area of social geography as well as in cultural geography (with students doing their work on the U.S. Mexico borderlands under the direction of Dan Arreola).

Another shift has been the development and growth of “geographic information systems” (GIS). Prior to 1987, GIS was largely an unknown, but the development of computers and various programs and techniques has resulted in the explosion of importance of this topic in all facets of life, and a great demand for training in this area. This is expensive training, requiring many computers and expensive software, but the department has aggressively moved into this field, to the benefit of both undergraduate and graduate students (especially in acquiring jobs, as this is a “hot” area). A Masters of Applied Science in GIS was established in 2003-04, and the first class of 17 to graduate in this non-thesis program will be in the summer of 2005.

Appendix B gives a listing of all M.A. graduate students who completed degrees in geography at ASU (and to date there have been 362), as well as their thesis titles and advisors. Appendix C does the same for Ph.D. graduates, with 95 Ph.D.s having graduated by mid-2005. The first graduates of the Masters of Applied Science in GIS are presented in Appendix D.

The graduate program at ASU’s Geography Department is now among the best in the nation. The department actively competes with top-10 departments around the country for the best and brightest graduate students, and generally we have been quite successful. This success is also reflected in the hiring of our graduate students once they complete degrees. The vast majority of our Ph.D.s were hired as faculty at other institutions, and several were hired in Ph.D. granting departments (which is a real accomplishment for an up-and-coming department). We are very proud of the placement of our Ph.D. graduates.

A unique part of the graduate program is something termed “The Day in the Pines.” It is held in late August, on the Saturday before classes begin. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are invited to a luncheon (and usually a hike) in the mountains where it is cooler. It is a social event where new graduate students can meet others, and where they are made to feel welcome. This tradition began in 1985 when Bob Mings was chair of the Graduate Committee, and the first of these events was a picnic along Tonto Creek, with a hike to Horton Springs (much was learned on this trip, such as--always pick a spot with toilet facilities). The Day in the Pines has been held every year since, often at the cabin of a faculty or staff member, or to a picnic site in central Arizona or on a mountaintop in southern Arizona. top

Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU)
The geography honor society remains strong at ASU. Theta Chapter at ASU has initiated 725 individuals, and 226 in the last seventeen years, making it one of the most-active chapters in the United States. Theta Chapter continues to co-sponsor a brown bag series in the department. One of the most important things they do, however, is go on field trips. Usually GTU members will go on two or three field trips each semester, and for the past 20 years or so, the first field trip of the academic year was to a swimming hole somewhere in central Arizona. Most field trips are for the day, although one or two each year are overnight. Ray Henkel and Malcolm Comeaux were the leaders of Theta Chapter for many years. When Henkel retired in 1995, Malcolm ran the group until his retirement in 2001. Since then, Breandan O’hUallachain has been the advisor of record, and Talbot Brooks assisted him until he left in early 2005. Malcolm once agin is running GTU, but it is time for a new faculty advisor. A listing of those initiated into GTU is given in Appendix F. top

Summary and Conclusion
Geography has a long and strong tradition at Arizona State University. Geography was taught from the day the school opened in 1886, and from that day to this it has remained an important part of the school curriculum. Like most disciplines taught that first year, geography slowly expanded its course offerings. By the 1890s there were individuals hired specifically to teach geography, though they were also expected to teach in other areas as well. The arrival of J. W. Hoover in 1924 brought a real change, for now there was a trained and active geographer on the faculty. He published extensively, and he brought stature to the institution. Since the 1920s there have been students majoring in the study of geography at Arizona State.

After World War II there was a rapid growth in enrollment and in faculty at Arizona State. By the early 1950s academically trained geographers were being hired, and several were on the faculty at any one time. The Department of Geography was established in 1957, and an M.A. program instituted in 1962. The 1960s were turbulent, and many faculty came and left. The 1970s were booming years, as well as years of stability. Many faculty were added, a Ph.D. program was instituted (1973), and many students completed graduate programs. The last two decades of the Twentieth Century were also stable years, but change is inevitable, and as faculty members retire, younger geographers replace them.

Throughout the history of geography at Arizona State University there has been a commitment to teaching students about Arizona. The “Geography of Arizona” was taught by 1890 as the last section of a course on general human geography. In 1907 Mr. Irish published his first small book on the geography of the state. Mr. Hoover was considered an expert on the state, and he rewrote the Geography of Arizona booklet written by Mr. Irish. In 1932 Mr. Hoover offered a formal course on the geography of Arizona, and it was a popular course at the time. Mr. Hoover also founded the Geographical Society, and one of its express aims was to give students a better knowledge and understanding of Arizona. This commitment to the study and teaching of the state was strengthened with the arrival of George Renner, as his dissertation was on the subject (“Geography of the State of Arizona”) and he taught the “Geography of Arizona” course. This course is still taught, and remains popular (the title was changed to “Geography of Arizona and the Southwest” when Durrenberger began teaching the course in the early 1970s, and it remains so).

The honorary geography fraternity, Gamma Theta Upsilon, is still a strong and viable organization. Just as in the days when first established, it initiates new members, has social events, sponsors one and two day field trips, and has invited speakers to present lectures at meetings. This organization also plays a vital role in bringing together undergraduate and graduate students, as both are welcome to join and participate in activities.

Positive changes continued in the latter part of the Twentieth Century. The Arizona Geographic Alliance was established in the department, and it has been very successful in its outreach to Arizona k-12 teachers, and it has evolved into one of the strongest alliances in the nation. The Friends for Geography, a group supporting the department, was established, and it too has been a success. Several endowments have been created, and a formal Annual Awards Banquet is well established. The graduate program has changed and evolved over these years, and more and more the department has emphasized the Ph.D. program, although the M.A. remains both strong and rigorous. The honor society, GTU, remained strong and active throughout this period, with few changes. Faculty members have become ever more active in publishing and in acquiring grants, and the stature of the department has grown to where we are considered one of the best in the nation. The department remains a friendly and congenial place, and all faculty members seem to have an open-door policy to students and colleagues. Hopefully this will continue far into the future.

Geography remains a strong and viable discipline at Arizona State University. At any one time there are about 150 majors in the undergraduate program, and several graduate degrees are awarded each year. Geography has a solid future in Arizona, and at Arizona State University. top

Appendix A
Recipients of an M.A. in Education (Geog. Emphasis)

1939 - Malcolm F. Miller
1942 - Adelia E. Gebauer
1952 - Lem R. Cortright
1953 - Odis D. Wilson
1957 - Elmer L. Bjelland
1958 - Robert J. Landseadel Jr.
1958 - Richard K. Van Wagenen
1958 - Mitchell N. Vikovich
1959 - Ronald J. Doran
1959 - Thomas P. Templeton
1960 - John F. Squibb
1960 - Alfred R. Zent Jr.
1961 - David Williams
1962 - Hiram C. Lelfingwell
1963 - Paul A. Manera
1964 - James E. L. Cox
1965 - Arthur R. Peffley
1965 - Alfred D. Ritter
1966 - Ted J. Morton
1967 - Alan D. Benson
1967 - Marilyn Mornik
1967 - Robert L. Wheat
1968 - Allan J. Cranmer
1968 - William F. Meyer
1969 - Kenneth B. Calbeck
1969 - Dee Rae Bayless
1969 - Maurice G. Mann
1970 - John W. Foster
1970 - Robert W. Wahl
1971 - John N. Hasandras
1971 - Kenneth W. Stephens Jr.
1972 - Joseph L. Mathern
1972 - Virginia Mitchell
1974 - Terry W. Keller
1976 - Donna A. Beardsley
1978 - Anthony L. Occhiuzzi
top

Appendix B
Graduates of the M.A. Program with Thesis Titles, and Advisors

ABORNE, MORRIS M. 1969. “Convenience Market Site Criteria Study.” (Ray Henkel).

ADAIR BRANDON. 2005. “Effective Methods or Fancy Graphics? Using Topographic Maps to Search for Principles in Geovisualization.” (Robert Edsall).

ALBERHASKY, JO ELLEN. 1983. “Stormflow Analysis of Chaparral Conversion of Small, Central Arizona Watersheds.” (William Graf).

AL-DORSARY, S’AD ROSHADE. 1970. “Problems of Water Supply in Saudi Arabia.” (Ray Henkel).

ALLRED, E. GENE. 1970. “A Spatial Analysis of Typhoon Origins.” (Ray Henkel).

ANDERSEN, DAVID LYNN. 1964. “On the Effect of Aggregated Contiguous Areal Data Upon the Correlation Coefficient.” (Edwin Thomas).

ANDERSON, MICHAEL G. 1988. “Aquatic Macrophytes’ Evaporative Reduction Potential on Artificial Lakes and Stock Tanks in Arizona,” (Anthony Brazel).

ANDERSON, RUSSEL P. 1969. “A Study of the Spatial, Physical, Economic, and Cultural Transition Within the Marketing System of Guadalajara, Mexico.” (Ray Henkel).

ARNOLD, PATRICK R., JR. 1971. “Spatial Patterns of Arizona Employment 1960-1970 With Forecasts Through 1973.” (Lloyd Haring).

ARUNDEL, SAMANTHA T. 1995. “Past Climate of the Sonoran Desert as Reconstructed by Average Species Climatic Parameters.” (Patricia Fall).

ASTERIADOU, MARIA K. 1999. “Greek Community in Phoenix: Generational Change in Ethnic Perceptions, Spatial Distribution and the Cultural Landscape.” (Daniel Arreola).

ATWOOD, EMILY. 2004. “The TOSS Method: An Enhanced Polygon Pattern Analysis Method for Nominal Data.” (Elizabeth Wentz).

BAILEY, MORRIS J. 1969. “Characteristics of Tourist Visitation Patterns of Arizona National Parks and Monuments.” (Virgil Baker).

BAJZA, ESTHER RUTH. 1978. “Evolution of Flood Control Policies and Practices in Central Arizona.” (Robert Durrenburger).

BAKER, ROBERT D. 1975. Non-thesis.

BALMER, WAYNE. V. 1973. Non-thesis.

BANERJEE, BANDANA. 1995. “Multi Criteria Evaluation in Generating Soil Loss Potential Map Using GIS Based Rusle Parameters.” (Donald McTaggart).

BARRANDA, ANTHONY. 2003. “Cracking the Architectural Codes of Miami Beach: Postmodern Sense of Place.” (Breandan O’hUallachain).

BARRINGER, JANICE A. 1976. Non-thesis.

BAWS, SELIG A. 1976. Non-thesis.

BEARD, REBECCA S. 2003. “Stream Channel Change in Response to Cattle Enclosures in Semi-Arid Riparian Ecosystems.” (Ronald Dorn).

BELKNAP, BRENT H. 1975. “A Critique of Public Transportation Access to the National Parks.” (Robert Mings).

BELLER, IVY JO. 1981. Non-thesis.

BENDER-LAMB, SYLVIA. 1983. “Chandler, Arizona: Landscape as a Product of Land Speculation.” (Malcolm Comeaux).

BENITEZ, JOHN A. 2002. “The Hispanic Protestant Landscape of Mesa, Arizona.” (Daniel Arreola).

BENNETT, JAMES H. 1981. Non-thesis.

BERECH, ALEXANDER J. 1969. “Uses of Petroleum By-Products as a Solution to Harnessing Arid and Semi-Arid Lands.” (Virgil Baker).

BERGM