Memories of Don
Messages of sympathy and memories of Donald may be sent to
memories-of-don@ucdavis.edu.
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I am writing to express my gratitude for the time that I spent with Donald Turcotte at Cornell in the mid-90s. Don was an intellectual giant, but also such a kind and generous person.
The first time I met Don, we were in his office and I was brimming with excitement at the prospect of talking about ways that we could mathematically model the mechanisms behind fractal behavior in geologic processes. The first thing Don said to me (after a few pleasantries, and with full knowledge that I wanted to be his graduate student) was “If I was your age, I would be a biologist.” His point was that biology would likely be the leading science of the 21st century the way that physics was the leading science of the 20th century, and that choosing impactful work is crucial.
I am glad that I stuck with geology, but I so appreciated his candor in that moment and in many after. His comment about biology illustrates, I think, his ability to think big-picture and to say some controversial things. When he challenged people (which he sometimes did at seminars and professional meetings), it always seemed to me to be coming from a desire to prioritize understanding over pleasantries. In other words, he could be controversial in his statements, but it was always in the spirit of wanting all of us to do our best science as a community of people. A community that struggles, often imperfectly, but that ultimately achieves the best results when we collaborate and compete in a respectful, friendly, and open way.
Don – you were one of the greats. You will be missed.
Prof. Jon D. Pelletier (he/him)
Depts. of Geosciences and Planetary Science, and Applied Mathematics Program
University of Arizona
Phone: 520-331-2576
My first research stay abroad was at UC Davis, with Donald Turcotte, John Rundle and their team, in 2004, on numerical models applied to earthquake physics. Don had just moved in to Davis one year earlier, and was enjoying it. Discussing my progress with Don and receiving his valuable suggestions made me feel very fortunate. He was so knowledgeable, humble and easy going. And it was charming to visit him and his lovely wife at their home. His work will live on in the community, and I am looking forward to using it with my students in my new position as lecturer on Earth physics.
Dr. Álvaro González
Postdoctoral fellow
Complex Systems Group
CRM Centre for Mathematical Research
Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
Appointed lecturer on Earth Physics
Faculty of Earth Sciences
University of Barcelona, Spain
