Jonathan (Joe) Lynde Richardson, 81, of Morris died after a brief illness on October 2 at Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, surrounded by his family and beside his beloved Susquehanna River.
Born in Philadelphia on May 15, 1935 to Episcopal missionaries, The Rev. Arthur and Dorothy Richardson, his family returned to the Philippines when he was 3 months old.
He graduated from Brent School, Baguio, where his father was Headmaster, then attended Williams College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1957. A Fulbright scholar, he earned a Masters from the University of New Zealand in 1960, and completed his PhD at Duke University in 1964. For his dissertation he collected and studied lake sediment cores and water samples in East Africa with his professor, Dan Livingstone, then joined colleagues in reconstructing East African climates for the past 30,000 years. This research allowed some of the first historical comparisons of tropical climate with post-glacial climates of Eurasia and North America.
He shared many adventures with colleagues, including escaping from a crocodile that sank his boat a two-hour swim from shore, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, and climbing and coring lakes in the rugged Ruwenzori Mountains of Uganda.
At Duke, he met undergraduate Alice Elmore, who worked in Dan's lab. They were married by Joe's father in Duke Chapel on August 5, 1963. In 1964, he and Alice took a freighter to Malaysia where he conducted postdoctoral research on primary productivity in fish ponds around the country. On their return to the United States, they visited Thailand, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Iran, Greece, Switzerland, France and England, staying in hostels and eating street food.
Joe began teaching at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, in 1966 and retired in 1999 as Dr. E. Paul and Frances E. Reiff Professor of Biology Emeritus. He designed a summer travel course on the biology of the Susquehanna River and its watershed, taking his students from its headwaters in Cooperstown down its course to the Chesapeake Bay.
He was a beloved teacher and mentor who inspired many to undertake careers in environmental work. Sabbaticals took him back to Africa and to Arizona, Australia, and Costa Rica, where he continued research on fresh waters of the world and wrote a textbook, Dimensions of Ecology.
He served the Lancaster community in many capacities, including on the boards of the Council of Churches and Lancaster County Conservancy; Vestry at St. James Episcopal Church; Chair of the Sewer and Water Advisory Committee of the County Planning Commission; and Interim Director of the North Museum.
In 2001 Joe and Alice moved to an old farm near Morris, where they fell in love with the meadows, the woodlands and the creek. Using the Swahili word for "fine," they called their farm "Mzuri Meadows" and protected it in perpetuity with a conservation easement.
Joe taught and studied with the Center for Continuing Adult Learning, Oneonta, served as President of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, and volunteered with other local environmental, church, and political reform groups.
Joe's loves included his family, hiking, mountain climbing, travel, nature, vegetable gardening, music, and people in need. He is remembered for his kindness to all, his compassion, his intellectual curiosity, and his passion for the natural world.
Joe was predeceased by his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Alice; their daughters, Catherine Venkatesh (Venkatesh Natarajan) of Arlington, MA; Mary Richardson of Worcester, MA; granddaughter Maya Venkatesh; brother Francis Richardson (Kathleen); sister Sarah Allan (Mowbray); and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and longtime friends.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2 pm at Zion Episcopal Church in Morris, on Saturday October 22 with the Rev. Gary Norman officiating. Interment in Hillington Cemetery, Morris, will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Conservation International (2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202), Otsego Land Trust (P.O. Box 173, Cooperstown, NY 13326) or Zion Episcopal Church (P.O. Box 156, Morris, NY 13808).
Johnston Funeral Home, Morris, NY Obituary
Born in Philadelphia on May 15, 1935 to Episcopal missionaries, The Rev. Arthur and Dorothy Richardson, his family returned to the Philippines when he was 3 months old.
He graduated from Brent School, Baguio, where his father was Headmaster, then attended Williams College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1957. A Fulbright scholar, he earned a Masters from the University of New Zealand in 1960, and completed his PhD at Duke University in 1964. For his dissertation he collected and studied lake sediment cores and water samples in East Africa with his professor, Dan Livingstone, then joined colleagues in reconstructing East African climates for the past 30,000 years. This research allowed some of the first historical comparisons of tropical climate with post-glacial climates of Eurasia and North America.
He shared many adventures with colleagues, including escaping from a crocodile that sank his boat a two-hour swim from shore, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, and climbing and coring lakes in the rugged Ruwenzori Mountains of Uganda.
At Duke, he met undergraduate Alice Elmore, who worked in Dan's lab. They were married by Joe's father in Duke Chapel on August 5, 1963. In 1964, he and Alice took a freighter to Malaysia where he conducted postdoctoral research on primary productivity in fish ponds around the country. On their return to the United States, they visited Thailand, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Iran, Greece, Switzerland, France and England, staying in hostels and eating street food.
Joe began teaching at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, in 1966 and retired in 1999 as Dr. E. Paul and Frances E. Reiff Professor of Biology Emeritus. He designed a summer travel course on the biology of the Susquehanna River and its watershed, taking his students from its headwaters in Cooperstown down its course to the Chesapeake Bay.
He was a beloved teacher and mentor who inspired many to undertake careers in environmental work. Sabbaticals took him back to Africa and to Arizona, Australia, and Costa Rica, where he continued research on fresh waters of the world and wrote a textbook, Dimensions of Ecology.
He served the Lancaster community in many capacities, including on the boards of the Council of Churches and Lancaster County Conservancy; Vestry at St. James Episcopal Church; Chair of the Sewer and Water Advisory Committee of the County Planning Commission; and Interim Director of the North Museum.
In 2001 Joe and Alice moved to an old farm near Morris, where they fell in love with the meadows, the woodlands and the creek. Using the Swahili word for "fine," they called their farm "Mzuri Meadows" and protected it in perpetuity with a conservation easement.
Joe taught and studied with the Center for Continuing Adult Learning, Oneonta, served as President of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, and volunteered with other local environmental, church, and political reform groups.
Joe's loves included his family, hiking, mountain climbing, travel, nature, vegetable gardening, music, and people in need. He is remembered for his kindness to all, his compassion, his intellectual curiosity, and his passion for the natural world.
Joe was predeceased by his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Alice; their daughters, Catherine Venkatesh (Venkatesh Natarajan) of Arlington, MA; Mary Richardson of Worcester, MA; granddaughter Maya Venkatesh; brother Francis Richardson (Kathleen); sister Sarah Allan (Mowbray); and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and longtime friends.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2 pm at Zion Episcopal Church in Morris, on Saturday October 22 with the Rev. Gary Norman officiating. Interment in Hillington Cemetery, Morris, will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Conservation International (2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202), Otsego Land Trust (P.O. Box 173, Cooperstown, NY 13326) or Zion Episcopal Church (P.O. Box 156, Morris, NY 13808).
Johnston Funeral Home, Morris, NY Obituary
Jonathan (Joe) Lynde Richardson, 81, of Morris died after a brief illness on October 2 at Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, surrounded by his family and beside his beloved Susquehanna River.
Born in Philadelphia on May 15, 1935 to Episcopal missionaries, The Rev. Arthur and Dorothy Richardson, his family returned to the Philippines when he was 3 months old.
He graduated from Brent School, Baguio, where his father was Headmaster, then attended Williams College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1957. A Fulbright scholar, he earned a Masters from the University of New Zealand in 1960, and completed his PhD at Duke University in 1964. For his dissertation he collected and studied lake sediment cores and water samples in East Africa with his professor, Dan Livingstone, then joined colleagues in reconstructing East African climates for the past 30,000 years. This research allowed some of the first historical comparisons of tropical climate with post-glacial climates of Eurasia and North America.
He shared many adventures with colleagues, including escaping from a crocodile that sank his boat a two-hour swim from shore, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, and climbing and coring lakes in the rugged Ruwenzori Mountains of Uganda.
At Duke, he met undergraduate Alice Elmore, who worked in Dan's lab. They were married by Joe's father in Duke Chapel on August 5, 1963. In 1964, he and Alice took a freighter to Malaysia where he conducted postdoctoral research on primary productivity in fish ponds around the country. On their return to the United States, they visited Thailand, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Iran, Greece, Switzerland, France and England, staying in hostels and eating street food.
Joe began teaching at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, in 1966 and retired in 1999 as Dr. E. Paul and Frances E. Reiff Professor of Biology Emeritus. He designed a summer travel course on the biology of the Susquehanna River and its watershed, taking his students from its headwaters in Cooperstown down its course to the Chesapeake Bay.
He was a beloved teacher and mentor who inspired many to undertake careers in environmental work. Sabbaticals took him back to Africa and to Arizona, Australia, and Costa Rica, where he continued research on fresh waters of the world and wrote a textbook, Dimensions of Ecology.
He served the Lancaster community in many capacities, including on the boards of the Council of Churches and Lancaster County Conservancy; Vestry at St. James Episcopal Church; Chair of the Sewer and Water Advisory Committee of the County Planning Commission; and Interim Director of the North Museum.
In 2001 Joe and Alice moved to an old farm near Morris, where they fell in love with the meadows, the woodlands and the creek. Using the Swahili word for "fine," they called their farm "Mzuri Meadows" and protected it in perpetuity with a conservation easement.
Joe taught and studied with the Center for Continuing Adult Learning, Oneonta, served as President of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, and volunteered with other local environmental, church, and political reform groups.
Joe's loves included his family, hiking, mountain climbing, travel, nature, vegetable gardening, music, and people in need. He is remembered for his kindness to all, his compassion, his intellectual curiosity, and his passion for the natural world.
Joe was predeceased by his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Alice; their daughters, Catherine Venkatesh (Venkatesh Natarajan) of Arlington, MA; Mary Richardson of Worcester, MA; granddaughter Maya Venkatesh; brother Francis Richardson (Kathleen); sister Sarah Allan (Mowbray); and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and longtime friends.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2 pm at Zion Episcopal Church in Morris, on Saturday October 22 with the Rev. Gary Norman officiating. Interment in Hillington Cemetery, Morris, will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Conservation International (2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202), Otsego Land Trust (P.O. Box 173, Cooperstown, NY 13326) or Zion Episcopal Church (P.O. Box 156, Morris, NY 13808).
Johnston Funeral Home, Morris, NY Obituary
Born in Philadelphia on May 15, 1935 to Episcopal missionaries, The Rev. Arthur and Dorothy Richardson, his family returned to the Philippines when he was 3 months old.
He graduated from Brent School, Baguio, where his father was Headmaster, then attended Williams College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1957. A Fulbright scholar, he earned a Masters from the University of New Zealand in 1960, and completed his PhD at Duke University in 1964. For his dissertation he collected and studied lake sediment cores and water samples in East Africa with his professor, Dan Livingstone, then joined colleagues in reconstructing East African climates for the past 30,000 years. This research allowed some of the first historical comparisons of tropical climate with post-glacial climates of Eurasia and North America.
He shared many adventures with colleagues, including escaping from a crocodile that sank his boat a two-hour swim from shore, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, and climbing and coring lakes in the rugged Ruwenzori Mountains of Uganda.
At Duke, he met undergraduate Alice Elmore, who worked in Dan's lab. They were married by Joe's father in Duke Chapel on August 5, 1963. In 1964, he and Alice took a freighter to Malaysia where he conducted postdoctoral research on primary productivity in fish ponds around the country. On their return to the United States, they visited Thailand, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Iran, Greece, Switzerland, France and England, staying in hostels and eating street food.
Joe began teaching at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, in 1966 and retired in 1999 as Dr. E. Paul and Frances E. Reiff Professor of Biology Emeritus. He designed a summer travel course on the biology of the Susquehanna River and its watershed, taking his students from its headwaters in Cooperstown down its course to the Chesapeake Bay.
He was a beloved teacher and mentor who inspired many to undertake careers in environmental work. Sabbaticals took him back to Africa and to Arizona, Australia, and Costa Rica, where he continued research on fresh waters of the world and wrote a textbook, Dimensions of Ecology.
He served the Lancaster community in many capacities, including on the boards of the Council of Churches and Lancaster County Conservancy; Vestry at St. James Episcopal Church; Chair of the Sewer and Water Advisory Committee of the County Planning Commission; and Interim Director of the North Museum.
In 2001 Joe and Alice moved to an old farm near Morris, where they fell in love with the meadows, the woodlands and the creek. Using the Swahili word for "fine," they called their farm "Mzuri Meadows" and protected it in perpetuity with a conservation easement.
Joe taught and studied with the Center for Continuing Adult Learning, Oneonta, served as President of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, and volunteered with other local environmental, church, and political reform groups.
Joe's loves included his family, hiking, mountain climbing, travel, nature, vegetable gardening, music, and people in need. He is remembered for his kindness to all, his compassion, his intellectual curiosity, and his passion for the natural world.
Joe was predeceased by his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Alice; their daughters, Catherine Venkatesh (Venkatesh Natarajan) of Arlington, MA; Mary Richardson of Worcester, MA; granddaughter Maya Venkatesh; brother Francis Richardson (Kathleen); sister Sarah Allan (Mowbray); and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and longtime friends.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2 pm at Zion Episcopal Church in Morris, on Saturday October 22 with the Rev. Gary Norman officiating. Interment in Hillington Cemetery, Morris, will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Conservation International (2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202), Otsego Land Trust (P.O. Box 173, Cooperstown, NY 13326) or Zion Episcopal Church (P.O. Box 156, Morris, NY 13808).
Johnston Funeral Home, Morris, NY Obituary
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