Joseph Butler, professor emeritus of geography, died Wednesday, March 21. He earned his PhD from Columbia University in 1960, and joined the Binghamton faculty in 1963. He retired in 1990, after 27 years of teaching and research, including serving as department chair. His research interests included economic geography, water resources and implications of exponential economic growth for environmental systems. He remained connected to the department, most recently working on a newsletter to connect past and present geographers.
Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences Herman Roberson, 77, died Friday, March 16, of complications of COPD and fibrosis. He earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois and joined the faculty at Binghamton University in 1959, pursuing research interests in clay mineralogy and environmental law. He retired in 2000, but returned as an adjunct professor until 2003. Read more here.