STRAHLER, Arthur Newell

Arthur Strahler, 84, died on December 6, 2002 in New York after a brief illness. He will be remembered for his keen intellect, his dry sense of humor, and his love and support for his family. A former professor of geology and department head at Columbia University, he earned wide scientific recognition for his pioneering contributions to quantitative geomorphology, and was honored by election to fellowships in both the Geological Society of America and the Association of American Geographers.

At age 44, he embarked on a second career as a textbook author, publishing college texts in physical geography, geology, earth science, and environmental science. His work spanned almost 50 years of his life and included 16 major titles and 14 revised editions for such well-known publishers as John Wiley and Sons, Harper Collins, and Prometheus Press.

Born in Kolhapur, India, to Presbyterian missionary parents, he was later educated in the Chicago area before attending Wooster College and Columbia University, where he received the PhD in geology in 1944. At Wooster, he met and later married the late Margaret Strahler. The couple moved to Santa Barbara in 1973, where they resided until 1999.

He is survived by his daughter Lanie of New York; his son Alan and daughter-in-law Kristi, of Edgartown, Massachusetts; and his granddaughter Amy and her husband Simon Holzapfel, of Stow, Massachusetts. A private family service was held on Martha's Vineyard on Christmas Day.