WILLIAM HAMBLIN

William Kenneth Hamblin 1928 ~ 2009 William Kenneth Hamblin passed away on 3 October, 2009 after a struggle with cancer and heart disease. Born on a small ranch in Lyman, Wyoming on 22 May 1928, to William and Verona Brown Hamblin, Ken spent his early childhood there before moving to Salt Lake City. He earned an athletic scholarship to Brigham Young University and became known as "Golden-Toe Hamblin". He played football for BYU, kicking the winning field goal in the 1948 game against Wyoming. After serving an LDS mission in France from 1949-1951, Ken met Sarah (Sally) Ann Peterlein at BYU; they were married on August 29, 1952 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Ken pursued the study of geology, earning his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1957. Throughout his distinguished career he taught at the University of Kansas, the University of Georgia, and for 30 years at Brigham Young University. He is the author of geology textbooks which have sold over a million copies in 11 editions. Ken has spent over 30 years studying the tectonic geomorphology of the Colorado Plateau and Grand Canyon, culminating in a memoir on the Grand Canyon, published by the USGS. In addition to his teaching and research, he has participated in geologic studies in the Great Rift Valleys of East Africa, the Alps, Siberia, and the Canadian Arctic. He has been a guest lecturer at various universities in South Africa, Switzerland, and France. Ken received the Distinguished Contributions in Science Award from the Utah Academy of Science. Ken was a devoted father to his four children, Bill (Loree) Hamblin, Lisa (Richard) Robison, Laura Hamblin, and Kim (Garret) Hamblin-Hart. Ken and Sally have 12 grandchildren, one of whom, Blake, preceded Ken in death. They also have seven great-grandchildren. He is survived by three sisters and a brother-in-law: Barbara McCafferty, Beth Saddler, and Laura and Norman Nelson. Ken always said the smartest thing he ever did was marrying Sally Peterlein. The two of them shared a great love of travel and have visited all seven continents. Ken was active in the LDS church and was well known in his ward for his stirring comments in Priesthood Meetings. The family is grateful to Dr.'s Doug Smith and Cordell Bott for extending Ken's life for six years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hamblin Global Geology Fund. Checks may be written to the Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, S389 Esc, Provo, UT 84602. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, October 9, 2009 at the Edgemont South Stake Center, 350 East 2950 North, Provo. Friends may call Thursday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, and Friday one hour prior to services at the chapel. Interment is at Eastlawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo. Condolences may be sent to info@bergmortuary.com