Steven Kristian Esbensen

1946 - 2024

Steven Kristian Esbensen

August 17, 1946 - February 22, 2024

CORVALLIS - Steven Kristian Esbensen, pacifist, professor, researcher, and supporter of the arts, passed away peacefully on February 22, 2024 with his family and many of his friends coming to visit him in his last days to say their goodbyes.

Steve spent his early adult years as a pacifist and a volunteer. In 1968, shortly after graduating from UCLA, he married Bonnie Makabe and they entered Brethren Volunteer Service so that Steve could fulfill his alternative service obligations as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war. He was assigned to work at the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors in Washington, D.C. While there, he edited the organization's newsletter and, by his second year, he became the Assistant Director of the organization.

In 1971 Steve and Bonnie left volunteer service and returned to UCLA for their graduate studies and to start a family. They had two sons, Peter and Adam. After earning his Ph.D. in meteorology, Steve spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado before accepting a faculty position in 1977 at Oregon State University where he remained for the rest of his career.

Steve enjoyed teaching and in 1982 he received the Lloyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching in Science. Steve's research focused on the interaction of the sea surface with the overlying atmosphere. His research led to greater understanding of heat transfer between the ocean and the atmosphere and the global transport of heat from the tropics to the poles.

Also in 1982-'83, Steve, who was then Chair of the Atmospheric Sciences Department, worked closely with Doug Caldwell, then Dean of the College of Oceanography, on a project to merge the two sciences into the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS), known today as the College of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.

Steve's community involvement included being elected Precinct Committee Person. He spent hours encouraging citizens to register to vote and get involved. Most of all, Steve was passionate about the arts. He served on the boards of directors and as President of Corvallis-OSU Piano International and as Treasurer of Chintimini Chamber Music Festival and Chamber Music Corvallis.

Steve was known for his kindness, his sense of humor, and his infectious laugh. He will be greatly missed. Steve is survived by his wife, Bonnie, their son Peter, daughter-in-law Emily Moon, granddaughter Maia, and son Adam and daughter-in-law Linda Campos.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 2:00 PM at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 4515 SW West Hills Rd, Corvallis, Oregon. Donations may be made in memory of Steve to Corvallis-OSU Piano International, Greenbelt Land Trust, or Amnesty International. Upsells: