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John Joseph Chiment passed away peacefully in his home in Ithaca, New York, on Sunday, September 16, 2012. John was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 5, 1950, the oldest son of John Anthony and Fides Chiment.
John graduated as Valedictorian from Poway High School in 1967 after only three years of high school and then spent a year with the American Field Service in Belgium. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the University of California, San Diego, in 1972. After serving as a medic in the United States Army, he continued his academic work, obtaining a Master's Degree in biology from San Diego State University and a Master's Degree in paleontology from University of California Berkeley. John went on to teach in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University, becoming the Director of the Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers. His other scientific accomplishments include designing an experiment on plant growth to be put into orbit with the NASA Challenger Space Shuttle, leading a team to determine the authenticity of the famous Our Lady of Guadalupe cloak, and directing many field projects, including the excavation of Mastodon sites in upstate New York. With his wife, he provided technical research assistance in the definitive three volume biography, "Francis of Assisi."
John was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Victoria Chiment; his mother, Fides Chiment of Poway; five brothers and sisters; two children; and four grandchildren.
The family requests that donations be made to Birthright International or St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
5 Entries
I have been wondering about John for some time. I finally just did a google search and found this obituary. I worked on videos with John about the mastodons he worked with. I'm sad to hear he passed. Those were some of the coolest videos I've ever made! RIP John!
Jamie Kalousdian
Work
September 20, 2022
Please know God is aware of your sufferings.
Isaiah 65:17
October 22, 2012
May the thought of knowing God is sensitive to and cares about your sufferiings bring your family comfort at this difficult time. Isaiah 85:17
October 12, 2012
I was proud of John knowing him through the AFS and following his wonderful career. God bless you all.
Jean Bralla
October 2, 2012
I deeply admired John. I still tell my students that he was the smartest guy I went to grad school with. His breadth and clarity of vision, acute and probing intellect, sense of humor and kindness, and most of all his creative solutions to life's many challenges, continue to amaze. I am so sorry to hear of his untimely demise. I think of him often, and looked forward to the possibility of seeing him at Cornell.
Jacques Gauthier
October 1, 2012
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