Message on the passing of Kenneth Bick
The following message was sent to the William & Mary community on Feb. 26, 2013 - Ed.
Dear Colleagues,
I write with great sadness to share the news that Kenneth F. Bick, professor of geology, emeritus, died on Tuesday, February 19. Professor Bick completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Yale University and began his career at William & Mary in 1961 as an associate professor of geology. As the sole member and founding father of the department of geology, he faced the task of building a department that would offer a full undergraduate program in geology. He served eleven years as department chair and was instrumental in building a program that grew to be well respected by the geological community for both its quality and the high caliber of its graduates.
During his tenure, he was dedicated to giving his students the best undergraduate education possible – he demanded excellence and set high standards. He made significant contributions to College governance and helped implement William & Mary’s general education curriculum in the 1970s. His research focused on the structural geology of the Appalachian Mountains and he produced some of the first modern geologic maps of the Williamsburg area.
After thirty years of devoted service to the College, he retired as a full professor in 1992. Ken and his wife Elise had an active retirement and moved to Oro Valley in southern Arizona. Professor Bick is survived by his children, Elyse Devereax, Timothy Bick, and Debbie Cozzone. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Lighthouse Lymphedema Network at: www.lighthouselymphedema.org.
Sincerely,
Michael Halleran
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Michael R. Halleran
Provost
The College of William & Mary