William Dowden Romey of East Orleans, MA passed away on Saturday the third of June. Bill was born October 26, 1930 in Richmond Indiana to William M. Romey and Grace (Dowden) Romey. He graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University. In 1955 he married Lucretia Leonard in Akron, OH. After three years in the navy, he entered graduate school in geology at U.C. Berkeley. After earning his Ph.D. he went on to a faculty position at Syracuse University followed by 20 years at St. Lawrence University. He was also the director of the Earth Science Curriculum Project in Boulder, CO for three years. He retired as a full professor from St. Lawrence University in 1990 and moved to East Orleans, MA where he continued an active life of writing and teaching. Bill spent many years as a shipboard lecturer travelling all over the world, notably for nine years in the Antarctic aboard The Explorer. His facility with languages enriched all aspects of his life; he was fluent in seven languages.
Bill was a prolific author and committed teacher. He wrote several popular books on science education that were required reading for teachers. He also wrote over 500 primary scientific articles on geology and geography that were published in journals such as Science and the Journal of Geological Education. He had a passion for popularizing science and wrote numerous articles published in newspapers, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He inspired a generation of students to expand their understanding of the world.
Bill leaves behind his sister, Sue DeWitt; his three children, Catherine (Cricket) Keener (Naples, FL), Gretchen Romey-Tanzer (Orleans, MA) and William L. Romey (Potsdam, NY); and seven grandchildren, John Tanzer, Alice Tanzer, Christina Keener, John Keener, William K. Romey, Max Romey, and Sage Romey.
For online condolences, please visit http://www.nickersonfunerals.com