Weldon Woolf Hammond

1937 - 2022

Dr. Weldon Woolf Hammond Jr. PhD. beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend departed this earth on July 2, 2022.

Weldon was born May 17, 1937 in San Antonio after his parents moved from Beeville, Texas. His father, the late W. W. "Doc" Hammond was a petroleum geologist who worked in the oil fields in South Texas, the Permian Basin, North Central Texas, Wyoming and the Mideast. His mother, Thelma Vandever Hammond, was a homemaker and a school teacher. The family originally moved to a small farm on the outskirts of San Antonio, back when Broadway was a two-lane road that wandered out to the San Antonio airport, which shared the runways with a U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 bomber training field. Weldon attended Alamo Heights Schools from the 1st to the 12th grade. He worked during junior high and high school delivering papers for the San Antonio Light and the San Antonio Express and Evening News. His summers were spent on the family farm and ranch in Wilson County, Kansas. He was also employed as an apprentice machinist and worked for several companies in the San Antonio region on nights and weekends. Upon graduation and at the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an Electronics Technician striker. The Navy soon rewarded him with a scholarship and an appointment as a Midshipman and presented him with a set of orders to the Naval ROTC Unit at The University of Texas at Austin. Weldon graduated from UT with a Bachelor's degree in Geology, was commissioned as an ensign and sent on active duty in the North Atlantic. He served on several ships as a Main Propulsion Assistant, Damage Control Assistant and as First Lieutenant.

Weldon never lost his love for the sea, serving throughout the world in several active duty and reserve assignments including Commanding Officer, Military Sea Lift Command Office, Orange, Texas, Commanding officer of Navy Reserve Facility,



Laredo, Texas, the Operations Officer of the USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37) and the Engineering Officer of the USS Tripoli (LPH 10), in the Republic of Korea with the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Korea and in England with the Commander U.S. Naval Forces, Europe. He was recalled to active duty in the Persian Gulf War. His combat duties included coordination of the multinational blockade force ships in the Gulf, Battle Watch Captain for the Seventh Fleet on board the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) and as the Oil Fire and Oil Spill coordinator in the coastal waters of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and along the Kuwaiti coast for the Seventh Fleet. He retired from the Navy after 30 years of service with the rank of Captain.

In 1963 he married the love of his life, Linda Lou Cowden. They met in high school and after a courtship that covered several continents and many years, they were married in Dallas, Texas. Together they enjoyed memberships in The Argyle, Club Giraud and The Town Club of San Antonio. Linda and Weldon were members of St. Mark's Episcopal. Church.

Along the way, Weldon managed to earn a Master's degree in Hydrogeology and a PhD degree in Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology from the University of Texas at Austin. His civilian work began in Texas in Matagorda County on irrigation projects and ground-water availability studies and soon took him over most South and Central Texas, New Mexico and Alaska. In 1977 he accepted a faculty position at a newly established university on the outskirts of San Antonio ... UTSA. He served as a faculty member in the Division of Earth and Physical Sciences, Division Director of the combined programs in Geology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Sciences, the Department Chair of Geological Sciences and as the Interim Dean of the combined Colleges of Sciences and



Engineering. He was the founding director of the Center for Water Research, a position he held for 16 years, He also held the Amy and V.K McNutt Endowed Distinguished Professorship in Hydrogeology for 12 years. His most satisfying work was locating and developing public water supply wells in impoverished areas in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico. In addition, he worked on large scale agricultural irrigation projects and public water supply projects for villages in several Mexican states. His primary academic research areas were in isotope hydrogeology and shallow geophysical applications to the occurrence of groundwater. He was a member of numerous professional and scientific organizations, including the Geological Society of America, the International Association of Hydrogeologists, the American Association of Engineering Geologists, National Ground Water Association and the South Texas Geological Society. He was a registered Professional Geoscientist in the state of Texas. He belonged to a number of academic honorary societies, including Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Phi Kappa Psi and Sigma Xi. Weldon served his community as a board member of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters, San Antonio Parks Council, the San Antonio River Foundation and the Citizen's Advisory Panel for the San Antonio Water System. In addition, he served on the Joint Texas Senate and House Water Resources Advisory Committee and the Texas Water Development Board's statewide Ground Water Availability Modeling program. He volunteered and taught science and math enrichment programs for migrant farm worker's children in the Eagle Pass school district to non­English speaking students, traveling to Eagle Pass once a week for two years. Weldon had a strong dedication to making the world a better place. He was a member of Hermann Sons and the German Texas Heritage Society and the Veterans of Foreign



Wars. He was also a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and served as the camp adjutant for the Alamo Guards. In addition, he was a member of the Descendants of Mexican War Veterans.

The University of Texas at San Antonio and the community saw fit to establish the Dr. Weldon W. Hammond Jr. Endowed Distinguished Professorship in Hydrogeology in his honor and in recognition of his distinguished service to the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Department of Geological Sciences, his community and the state of Texas.

Surviving him are his wife of 60 years, Linda, sons Weldon W. Hammond Ill and Rory Cowden Hammond Sr. and wife Deborah Dreher Hammond. He had five grandchildren, Marc Anthony Hammond, Zachary Dreher Hammond and wife Savannah Ann Hammond, Donovan Nelson Dreher Hammond, Rory Cowden Hammond Jr, Annalyn Burke Hammond and 4 great-grandchildren, Marques Xavier Hammond, Mia Michelle Hammond, Maason Woolf Hammond and Raiden Thorsten Hammond. In addition, he is survived by his sister, Susan H. Martin and husband, James N. Martin, nieces Andrea Propes and husband Richard Propes, Alyson Prevost and husband Paco Prevost, cousins Kathryn Vandever, Christina Alexander, Linda Maxwell, Laura Bingham, and James Vandever.

Visitation will be held at Sunset Memorial Park and Funeral Home located at 1701 Austin Hwy on July 24, 2022 from 6-8PM. Graveside services with United States Navy Honors will be held July 25, 2022 at 9 AM following, the church service will be celebrated at St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 11:30AM; reception at the church to immediately follow.

If you would like to make a contribution in his honor, please consider The Center of Water Research UTSA, 1 UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249, and Fisher House, Inc. 7323 Hwy 90 West, Ste. 107 San Antonio, Texas 78227 or a charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sunsetfuneralhomesa.com for the Hammond family.