December 12, 2020
December 12, 2020
Jim Morgan was a mensch in the truest sense of the word. I first met Jim in 1971 at an International Water Association meeting in San Francisco. The last time I saw Jim was over coffee at a Peet’s Coffee House in Pasadena with Rhodes Trussell in the fall of 2019. During the intervening 48 years, I had the opportunity to interact with Jim in many settings, but most fondly on the basketball court in Switzerland, Toronto, the Morgan driveway, the Cal Tech gym, El Cerrito High School, and at least one Gordon Conference. Jim had the sweetest jump shot and was a fierce competitor – a New York characteristic that he shared with Charlie O’Melia. My most memorable times occurred in Switzerland at the EAWAG between 1972 and 1976 where Jim shared his many insights on topics of mutual interest in environmental engineering and science, world affairs, food, and poetry. As a struggling recent PhD, trying to establish a research program and learning German, I was and am forever grateful for Jim’s encouragement, humor and support. Over the years, Jim continued to provide thoughtful insights as I faced various career decisions having chosen the path of being a consulting engineer rather than follow an academic path. I regularly made pilgrimages to Pasadena for a lunch or dinner opportunity to share thoughts with Jim, always insightful and encouraging. His engineering training made him appreciative of the challenge in translating aquatic chemical theories into practical applications in a complex transient environment where equilibrium is rarely seen. He would occasionally send a postcard from afar conveying his search for meaning through his favorite poets, Ezra Pound, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney. His humor, humility and human insights made him a true mentor and a good listener, a rare combination amongst famous scientists and engineers. On my 50th birthday, his card from Zurich read “Meditation on the Five Oh: not prime, but you are in your prime, jumpers arching beautifully through crisp space, disciplines coming clearer in their arc, your mind in prime time. Sail on, young un” Made my day for sure. Jim will always be remembered for his intellect, his humor, the breadth of his interests, his willingness to take professional risks and do public service, his dedication to his family and his jump shot. I miss him fiercely especially in this time of such uncertainty and transitions. I so look forward to the day when we can all meet again and celebrate a life well lived. It is inspiring now to read the many tributes to him from his students, colleagues and friends. Mike Kavanaugh December 12, 2020.