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William Atkinson Obituary
March 14, 1933 - March 2, 2025
Dr. William A. "Bill" Atkinson, a beloved professor of forestry at OSU, passed away just days from his 92nd birthday. Born in Berkeley, California, he earned his forestry degree from UCBerkeley. His first job was with Soper Wheeler in the Sierra Nevadas. With his wife Priscilla (nee Kennedy) they raised a daughter Sally and a son Roger. Upon the death of Priscilla he returned to UCBerkeley to receive his PhD in forestry. He married Pamela (nee Collin) and daughter Heather was born.
Bill worked at the UW studying forest fertilization and thinning. His passion for sustainable forestry practices, forest engineering and conservation was passed along to his students. His research contributed significantly to advancements in forest management. He was awarded "Instructor of the Year" in 1987.
After 8 years at UW Bill became chief forester at Crown Zellerbach where he was responsible for the management of several million acres of forest in the Northwest, Southeast and Canada. He later became manager of the Forestry Research Division where he led a team that established forests of hybrid poplar trees, an important source of pulp for Crown Zellerbach's mills.
After a divorce he married Mary (nee Morgan) and accepted the post as head of the Forestry Engineering Department of OSU. Upon his retirement Bill worked as a consultant for the hybrid poplar project and helped organize the Swiss Needle Cast Co-op at OSU. Of his many accolades he was proud to receive the life time achievement award from the Western Forestry and Conservation Association for "promoting the science and practice of forestry for the sustainable production of goods, services and use of forest products".
Bill and Mary settled on a small farm in Aumsville where they planted a variety of trees which have grown into a beautiful forest. He also enjoyed a large collection of antique roses. Mary predeceased him. He is survived by his daughter Sally Lambert (Tom), Roger Atkinson (Wendy), Heather Hooper (Sam), nine grandsons, and his constant companion Chloe, the dog. At his request no service will be held. The family requests donations be made to the OSU Forestry Department in his memory
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