Thank you for creating the L. Douglas James Memorial Scholarship in his honor. This scholarship will allow Doug’s wonderful legacy to continue and provide a lasting impact for USU students conducting research in the Utah Water Research Lab. Doug was always an advocate for student research opportunities, and this scholarship will help to stimulate students’ interest to explore water research at the undergraduate level.

If anyone would like to contribute to Doug’s legacy, please reach out to me at kade.burnham@usu.edu.

He is gone already but never will be forgotten. Can’t believe it’s been a whole year. I still miss him a lot. Thank you grandpa for leaving me such a good memories.

So many times this past year I've missed corresponding with Douglas. Our bond was James family history, and I've learned much that I know would have interested him. Plus in these troubling times, I've missed his gracious presence on email. He was a light - a candle in dark places - and I miss him.

Dear Zhida, I’m so sorry to learn of Doug’’s passing. I just read about it in the USU Engineering magazine. Doug was a kind and gentle man. What a contrast to many of our leaders these days. He went out of his way to be generous to me.

Grace and peace to you.

I am so sad to learn that Douglas passed away in April. For many years we exchanged James family information while building an online friendship that meant the world to me. Douglas provided rare and precious insight into my father's family, but most of all he was a great correspondent! Sincere sympathy to all his family and friends; he is missed already.

It was a shock to hear that Doug had died. I know he was looking forward to going the the July event on Pike's Peak. I was happy to make the connection for him with the Olsens in Temecula..who are direct descendants of Dr.
Edwin James...the first person up Pike's Peak.  I also smiled when I got an e-mail from Doug...he always began "Howdy Myrna".  Dear Zhida..we have never met but I hope we will someday. I wish you the best of life to come and for some happy memories.

It is a sad news. I see him as one of the most significant personalities in organizing hydrologic research in the country.
I knew Doug from 2002, I was volunteering and then working for one month as consultant in his hydrologic section of the NSF. With his advice and help I learn a lot about academic community during those six months. 
I did not complete discussion with him on use of Artificial Intelligent in the management of water resources. He sent in email on November of last year:
“The greatest challenge in modeling is to capture the scope of all that is important, both through laws operating at relevant scales in the physical and biological sciences and in the breadth of factors that impact how people and communities think. Modeler focus on how people “should” think (according to economics, social justice, etc.) and neglect the rationale that people actually followed in past decision making. We can point to past “bad” decisions and blame ignorance when perhaps AI could now reveal overlookEd motives. The use of AI to expose past decision making drivers opens fruitful scientific inquiry. Past water resources management abounds in heretofore hidden motivations.”
I was preparing the reply. 

I am truly thankful for knowing Douglas James. Doug's wisdom, calmness and patience contributed to my giving Ziqi the same name in English, which was accepted immediately with satisfaction.

He wrote beautifully in his Christmas updates. Receiving my Christmas updates, you should know that I am trying to emulate him. In this way, we remember him at least every Christmas season.

We never talked much; he never gave me suggestions or guidance as far as I can recall. Nonetheless, he touched the lives of me and my son in a profound way.

So sorry to hear the news about Doug's passing away. I hope that my friend shuiwen will be strong and healthy to continue her own life's journey. You both have given us (Andrew Yang's team) so much inspiration and support. Our team wants to express our deepest sympathy. We will all miss him.

We at Zepher Ridge will miss seeing Doug as we walked each day in our community. He was always so pleasant, and interesting to talk to when I would see him out and about. He and Zhida would often be working in their beautiful yard and we would stop and chat. I will miss the get togethers we shared as neighbors. We were so looking forward to their return to Nevada and to hear about another exciting trip. My heart is so heavy with his passing. Prayers and love to Zhida and Doug's family

I will miss seeing Doug walking the community, slowly but surely. I will miss seeing him at our occasional get togethers over pizza, holidays or even pie nights! Doug went out of his way to help me with fruit tree issues and thanks to him, I will have a bumper crop this year! He and Zhida were instrumental in transforming our community rock pile into a small park for everyone's enjoyment. I will miss his kindness and the twinkle in his eye when I brought out a slice of delicious pie and set it in front of him. I send condolences to his family and Zhida. Rest in peace, Doug.

Neighbors on Mosby Rd in Fairfax city will miss Doug, who was always kind, cheerful and open to exchanging thoughts and observations. We would often see him gardening with Zhida, talking long walks, initially with his two beloved chows, then with one and then either by himself or with Zhida. Doug often joined us when we celebrated a graduation or a 4th of July in our yard. We always enjoyed his presence and conversation during those events. He would always stop to engage in a conversation when we met during our walks or while doing garden work. I can only say that we regret his absence, and we will always remember his kindness and amiable disposition. We wish much courage to Zhida and his family in this difficult loss. When times get better, Zhida please know that our door is always open at 10009 Mosby, and never hesitate to call on us. With our thoughts and prayers.

Prof. Douglas James had the kindest words and wisest advice to share with a young hydrologist. The few precious minutes I spent with him in his office in DC and over the telephone launched me on my professional path. Thank you Dr. James, and rest well.

Zhida,
I was so saddened to hear of Doug’s death. It brought back memories of our time together at the National Science Foundation. At the time I was Division Director for Earth Sciences and had the good fortune of having Doug as the first Director of the Hydrologic Sciences Program. When I suddenly got letters from leaders of the Hydrology community supporting our choice I quickly learned, and with time understood, why we had made a sound decision. 

Starting with a clean slate and limited funding his legacy gave birth to the Hydrology Program’s success that it enjoys today. 

Doug was always accessible and gave generously of his time and advice. Being a novice in the field of hydrology I often needed his guidance. I always enjoyed his clear advice and valued being his “student”.

Please accept my condolences for your loss.

Ian MacGregor.

It was with a sad heart that I learned of the passing of Doug James. Doug hired me as a Program Director for Hydrologic Sciences at NSF in 2008, and we worked together for over two years until his retirement. Mostly I just listened and learned from Doug, but little by little I better understood the workings of NSF and the liaison role the Hydrologic Sciences program played with other US Government agencies. Doug and I figured out early on that we both had old California roots going back to the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. 
Doug was a tremendous mentor, always patient and always looking to protect and aid the research community in Hydrologic Sciences. Doug’s contributions to the Hydrologic Science community are unparalleled. Through cooperation with various related programs at NSF, we were always able to considerably expand the support for the Hydrologic Sciences program. Doug never left a stone unturned when it came to support for the program. With his pioneering work in Hydrologic Sciences at NSF, he leaves a legacy for which he will always be remembered. 

It was a pleasure for me to join USU and see Doug in person (he was Director of the Water lab at that time) after having used his book in courses in India.
I joined USU in 1991 and was fortunately part of the last batch of students in his Water res planning and Stanford watershed modeling classes, before
he left for D.C. in 1992.
I met him a few times at conferences after he left USU, but had several interactions – always caring. Those memories that are fresh in my mind, mean a lot now and will cherish them even more dearly.
He was highly respected, warm and an exceptional human being,
in all interactions. Not to mention his impactful service to the Hydrology community at large at NSF and beyond. Fruits of which, we are benefitting.
He will be dearly missed, but generations of hydrologists will remember, feel and live his legacy.

Balaji
_______________________________________________
R. Balaji (Balaji Rajagopalan), Professor & Chair,
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering &
Fellow, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
University of Colorado

It is really sad to see a great colleague and a mentor passing away. He was true gentleman and very passionate about research and science and very committed to spreading the joy of research. He was a good mentor to me even after leaving USU. He sent an email few months back after forgetting to congratulate me on my appointment to the deanship and this tells me the caliber of Doug as a human being and a great supporter of USU colleagues. I just told my wife, Indira, about the dinner that we had at your place just before two of you left for DC. Please accept our condolences in this sad times and hope you will recover from this shock soon. Take care!
Jagath

____________________________________
Jagath Kaluarachchi
Dean | College of Engineering
Professor | Civil and Environmental Engineering
Utah State University

From Taiye Sangoyomi:

To us his students, he was Dr. James. He was a truly wonderful person, so caring and trying to make the best for all his students.

He was instrumental in my being at Utah State University. I remember writing him while I was still in Nigeria, seeking to go to the US for an engineering graduate degree, never expecting to receive a response. To my utmost surprise, he responded to my letter (there was no email in those days), and we ended up corresponding several times, which led to him offering me a graduate research assistant position at the Utah Water Lab. He was also on my PhD defense committee. Without him, I probably wouldn't be in the position I am now.

Over the years, I thought on and off about him, and wish I had been able to reconnect to let him know how instrumental he was in my career.

My deepest sympathies to you and your family.

I had many contacts with Doug throughout his career, perhaps especially as a member of numerous panels and committees when he served the hydrology community at the NSF. Doug's passing is an unbelievable loss to our community.
George M Hornberger
Director
Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment

It is with a heavy heart that I write this note on behalf of the Division of Earth Sciences at NSF. Many of us had the fortune to work with Doug while he managed the Hydrologic Sciences Program. And although we interacted with him in different ways, all of us remember his selflessness, kindness, willingness to share his views, and commitment to the scientific community. There is no doubt that Doug has left a major legacy through a robust and solid research program at NSF, through the mentoring of many early career scientists and program directors, and through his writings on the role that hydrologic sciences should play in society. We hope that this legacy helps to alleviate a little bit the void he leaves.

Lina C. Patino, PhD
Director, Division of Earth Sciences
National Science Foundation

I was deeply saddened to hear this news. Doug was an amazing person. He was director of the Utah Water Research Lab when I started there in 1990. His guidance was formative in my early career. I was warmly welcomed into the lab and Doug included me in the Severe Sustained Drought Project on the Colorado River that introduced me to the practical and challenging interdisciplinary issues of water resources management. I remember Doug as a person who served the community and advocated for the use of science and data in making water resources policy and economic decisions. His career bridging water resources economics and hydrologic science expressed this and I am grateful for our interactions at the lab and later while he ably advanced Hydrologic Science at the NSF. My heart does out to Doug’s family.

I am very sad to learn the passing of Prof. Douglas James. I met with him many years ago but had a verygood impression. Prof. James was a gentle and kind scholar and he was well-respected by his peers nationally and internationally. I wish him rest in peace.
Yours sincerely
Zhaoyin Wang
Professor, Tsinghua Univ, PR China

It was with great sadness that I learned of Dr. L. Douglas James' passing.

I had the privilege of working for Doug at the UWRL in the early 90s on applied research and taking his courses in Parametric Hydrology, Water Resource Systems Planning, and Institutional Analysis.

Besides being an engineer and a scholar of distinction, with expertise and interest in a wide range of subjects, he was a great teacher, mentor, and friend.

He will be missed and remembered by many, many people across the globe.

I am one of the administrative staff in the Division of Earth Sciences. I had worked with Dr. James on many projects. I worked with him on the SAHRA and CUSHAI programs. I always enjoyed working with him. After he retired, he would come in the office to visit and catch up with people. He always stopped by my cubicle to see how I was doing. I will always remember him telling me the story of how his grandparents survived the great earthquake of San Francisco of 1906. He was a good and honorable man who cared about people. He will be missed but his spirit will live on.

In his role as program manager, it was necessary to deny funding more often than to support a project. But Doug would work with the writers and use the reviews to lift the scientists to achieve better science, stronger proposals, and strengthen the community. He would also go the extra mile, and beyond, to search for support for the proposals that he did not have funds for, but thought should move forward. He was a prince of a man, and did a great deal to elevate the entire field of hydrology though his patient, kind, and dedicated efforts. He is much loved, and will be terribly missed. My heart goes out to his family.

John Selker, Oregon State University

My heart aches to hear this news. I still can’t believe he is gone.
I have lost my grandpa who used to call me his adopted granddaughter, i have lost my friend who had 50 year age gap with me but always was there to listen to my stories and give me the best advice, i have lost my influencer who loved adventures and traveled around the world in his 80s. He loved to share his experiences with me and sends me the photos of every places he visited.
James, you were such a caring and loving grandpa, a good listener and a mentor, a nice and very kind human-being. You left me beautiful memories. You will never be forgotten, you will remain in my heart forever.
I am so sorry for your lose Zhida, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

My deepest condolences to His family. I meet him in 2013 in First Watch restaurant ( His regular place often had breakfast and lunch). I used to work there and he was my regular customer. He was really interested Mongolian history and we talked about history a lot. He became my American grandpa and always called me his mongolian granddaughter. When i decided to back to country he came to airport and said goodbye to me. Right after a year later he visited to my country in July 2018 and it was big surprise and we had good memories together. He was such a great person. I will always remember his kindness. Rest in peace James.

Doug was an amazing person who touched so many of us and so many things we do as hydrologists and environmental scientists. From the time I first met him, he put his efforts and energies into making things better and building things for what we now call, the “community” of hydrology. Whenever we use that term today, please think of Doug and how he devoted his career to building that community. And also think carefully of your own actions and how you can try to follow his lead.

On the personal side, it was Doug who funded my first PI grant at NSF. His review panel rated the proposal as “risky”, yet was willing to take a chance on a kid without much of track record. He and I had the pleasure of then working together as he developed the CUAHSI concepts, and I further learned a great deal from him about leadership and making a difference. The reality is that I would not have had half the career I have been fortunate enough to have it were not for Doug James. And I know that I am not the only one to have had the honor to learn from his leadership.

We will forever miss Doug James, the “mayor” of our community of hydrologists. 

From my wife Constance and me, we offer our deepest sympathies to his wife, family and friends.

It's terrible to hear about the loss and I express my sincere sympathy to you Zhida and your extended family.
I became one of his Mongolian granddaughters when I met him at the cafe, First Watch couples of years ago. Dr. James and his wife Zhida are such nice people inviting us over dinner, having good talk and sharing their experiences. I don't forget they had a note pad that every guest writes their thoughts when they visit first time at their house. I do not remember what I wrote but probably wrote that it was a great Thanksgiving night to me. 
Since then, whenever he is in Fairfax, VA, we try to have breakfast meeting once in a while talking about his and his wife's next travel plan and my plans (A,B&C) on my work and life. He was such a good listener ..
I was so prepared to our regular breakfast meeting to tell him my across the country travel adventures and surprise him with my other plan changes (again) when he'd come to Fairfax.
Words cannot describe what I am feeling. Remembering his wonderful and gentle soul will forever remain in our hearts. May he rest in peace!

Passing all our thoughts and prayers to Zhida and her family on their tragic loss. We are all better persons for having known, worked, or studied with Doug. He certainly was a good husband, professor, mentor, and just an overall nice man. I first knew of Doug professionally with his work at the National Science Foundation, then later when some of his former students came to work at Michael Baker Jr, Inc. (International). Everyone of those former students had nothing but good things to say about Doug as their professor, mentor, and friend.

It wasn’t till his wife, Zhida, came to work for Michael Baker that I got to know Doug from the personal side. Zhida and I worked in the same group at Baker for 10 years. Zhida retired in 2015, which allowed them to expand their travels the over the globe on safaris, river and ocean cruises, and many other fabulous trips. My wife and I had the opportunity to meet with them on numerous occasions grabbing breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, whenever they were not on their world travels. Although, I have never left the USA, I feel somewhat like a world traveler just listening to them talk about their many trips over that last 5 years.

I know I can speak for all Zhida’s “Baker Buddies” when I say we were all saddened to hear of Doug passing. We will all miss Doug and wish Zhida and her family peace and love.

Tom and Sharon Smith

Dr. James has been a part of my life for as long as can remember. When my sister told me he had passed away, I was shocked and saddened and suddenly 30 some years of memories flashed before my eyes. As a young girl, I remember him as a regular visitor at our apartment in Logan, Utah when my father was studying for his PhD. My mother would always cook up a storm when he came over for dinner. He loved Indian food and had a lot of affinity for the country and its people, especially Pune. I remember being intimidated my him. He was reserved but once he got talking he would talk for hours. As I got to know him over the years, I found him to be kind, caring and very down to earth. As an adult when I moved to the US, I was living in the Midwest and would visit my sister, who lived in Fairfax, several times a year. Dr. James and his loving wife Zhida would always make it a point to visit with me whenever I was in town. I remember their warm hospitality, thanksgiving meals, wonderful food, lively conversations and playing board games in their lovely home. Those fond memories will always stay with me.

Over the years as we got busy with our lives those visits became less frequent. The last time I met him was in the summer of 2015. He came over to our house for dinner when my parents were visiting us from India. It seemed like old times again. Zhida, unfortunately couldn’t make it because she was sick. We had a leisurely dinner that lasted several hours. My husband took pictures before he left and I am glad they got the opportunity to meet. We promised to keep in touch since we lived so close to each other, little did I know then that it would be the last time I would see him. 

We spoke over the phone several times over the last few years promising to meet for dinner soon. I regret not meeting him one more time. The last time I spoke with him was after he and Zhida returned from their trip to India. He was very happy and told me how much he enjoyed his trip to Pune. I could picture his smiling face and the twinkle in his eyes and that’s how I would always like to remember him.

I will always be grateful for the opportunity to know Dr. James and spend time with him. My heart goes out to Zhida and the rest of his family. My thoughts and prayers are with them and may God give them the strength to persevere in this difficult time.

Love,
Kranti

My deepest condolences. I much appreciate Dr. James’ leadership, mentorship, and contribution to hydrological sciences. He will be greatly missed.         Shemin Ge, University of Colorado Boulder

Doug influenced multiple generations of hydrologists and water scientists over his career. He was incredibly thoughtful, supportive and patient with people, especially younger researchers entering the field. He was curious and sought to learn from each person and engaged them very respectfully in an academic discourse covering a very wide range of topics. He was able to relate the practical and the theoretical, across a spectrum of fields. His scientific contributions reflected the synthesis of such interactions as well as original ideas and methods. He brought prominence to the Utah Water Research Laboratory, nationally and internationally, and for many of us was a model of leadership.
It is a sad day when we lose Doug to COVID, but we can fondly remember and revere him for the impact he had directly and indirectly on our lives.

Doug was the instructor in my first of many hydrology classes. I was a beginning masters student at Stanford where Doug was on sabbatical leave.  While he was winding down his time at NSF, I was fortunate to get one of my proposals funded by the Hydrologic Sciences program. 

Through his role at NSF and support of junior scientists, CUAHSI and other programs, Dr. James in many ways left his imprint on the field of hydrologic science. 

My deepest sympathy and condolences to his family.

I was profoundly to hear the sad news on pass away of Prof. Douglas James. Prof. Douglas James was a very kind of peoples who made great contributions on NSF and education in sciences and technology in the world.

Please accept my sincere condolences and best regards to his family.

Prof. Jun XIA
IUGG Fellow, IUGG Bureau member
Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Professor & Director, Research Institute for Water Security(RIWS)
   Wuhan University, 430072, China
Director, Center for Water Resources Research, CAS
   Anwai Datun Road A11, 100101, Beijing, China

What a profoundly sad loss! Doug's generosity, dedication and wisdom made us all better scientists and human beings. I am forever grateful to him. My heart goes out to Doug's family!

With Deepest Sympathy,
Graham Fogg

                                                                                  

My deepest sympathies to Doug's family. As for many others, Doug really shaped my relationship with NSF as I moved into my faculty career. He was a great mentor and I appreciated how personable he was. Living and working in a University of California research center near Fresno, it was particularly fun to find out that Doug had grown up in my (then new) neck of the woods, around Stockton and Modesto - and sharing stories about water in the San Joaquin Valley. Doug, you will be missed!

Thomas Harter, University of California at Davis

Dr. James was a great mentor and advisor during my USU years. Those were exciting times measuring and modeling the Wasatch Front mobilize and flow into the rapidly rising Great Salt Lake. I was fortunate to have had Doug's guidance and advice through my graduate studies. My deepest condolences to his family.

Brad Hall, Principal
Northwest Hydraulic Consultants

As with so many others, Doug guided me through my early years as a faculty member. He provided advise on what a proposal should be and thus essentially how to do science. He was a kind and gracious person and I offer his family my sincerest condolences.

I am so sad to hear this news. Doug was program director at NSF from my days as a grad student through to full professor. His leadership and contributions to hydrology research and funding at NSF spanned program growth, the funding of the SAHRA STC, and the emergence of Interdisciplinary Critical Zone Observatories. My thoughts and best wishes go out to his family, friends, and colleagues
Paul Brooks

Back in the late 1990s, I met Doug Day 1 of my stint as an IPA rotator in the Climate Dynamics program at NSF. Although we worked in different Divisions, we worked on topics of mutual interest to our respective research communities, oftentimes co-funding projects between the Hydrological Sciences program and Climate Dynamics. Doug was managing SAHRA, the Science and Technology Center and sought input on matters pertaining to hydroclimate. He was a wonderful colleague and I learnt much from him.

Doug and his wife live in Fairfax and over weekends I'd sometimes run into him in Fair City mall. Our friendship grew even as he retired from NSF. He returned as expert and he'd come by for a chat on emerging topics in hydrology.

It is hard to accept this loss. He is the first friend I've lost to this terrible pandemic and I hope he's the last. My deepest condolences to his wife and extended family. 

Anjuli S. Bamzai
Division Director, Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
NSF

Sad news about Doug. Such a nice person... I first met him at Utah State University in 1980; he later talked me into writing my first NSF proposal in mid 80s, way before he became a program officer. Thank you Doug for many kind interactions and for your support for the community vision of CUAHSI. We will miss you.

My first NSF project was funded by Dr. James. We had an appointment for 30 minutes, but talked for more than an hour. He asked me many tough questions, and I thought that there would be no chance to be funded. But he called me next several days to fund my project. The conversation was like happening yesterday, and it actually reshaped my way of thinking. I am sure that he helped many hydrologists one way or another. May He rest in peace!

So sad. Doug was the program officer when I was awarded my first grant and was also the program officer who shepherded SAHRA in its early years. A kind and gentle mentor Doug will be greatly missed. Truly sad.

Professor Duan's email of April 8 to Jerad Bales about the passing of Doug was forwarded to me from NSF. I am currently retired, but for many years was the Program Officer for Physical and Dynamic Meteorology in the Atmospheric Sciences Division at NSF. In that capacity, Doug and I worked together quite a bit and we both were especially interested in getting the hydrologic and meteorological communities to work more closely together. To that end, we jointly supported many a grant and also provided funds for joint meetings between the two communities. There are Program Officers at NSF that are a joy to work with and Doug was one of those.

I would appreciate your passing my condolences to his family and my wishes for a speedy recovery for Doug’s wife.

Sincerely,

Steve Nelson

Formerly Program Officer for Physical and Dynamic Meteorology and Section Head for Center and Facilities

Division of Atmospheric Sciences Division

National Science Foundation 

This is a sad news ! Wish Dr James will reach heaven to stay with God together Also, hope his wife to recover soon.

Sent from my iPhone (Prof Xixi Wang)

I also knew Doug well, especially during SAHRA & when I was at NCAR. He was a strong voice for hydrologic science at NSF & a genuinely nice man.

Very best,

Larry Winter

I was extremely saddened and in disbelief upon learning the passing of Prof. Douglas James. Doug was someone I admired and got to know more closely when I was on faculty at the Univ. of Virginia. One year he was invited by Prof. Yacov Haimes to spend his sabbatical at UVA and during that time I also met Mrs. (宋智达）and we became good friends. During Doug's stay at NSF I had visited him multiple times trying to get some funding (). However, after he left NSF and after I retired from UVA I somehow lost contact with them for many years.

Doug was a gentle, kind and matter-of-fact scholar and he was well-respected by his peers nationally and internationally. It is so unfortunate that they went on to that ill-fated cruise (us retirees do that all the time). We will miss him dearly. I wish Mrs. ' speedy and full recovery. Do you happen to have her contact information so I could call or e-mail her? Thanks.

With best regards,
Shaw L. Yu, PhD, Hon.DAWRE, LM, ASCE
Emeritus Professor
Univ. of Virginia