James A. Kittrick

Jim Kittrick died on January 18th at home. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to James and Anita (Kasper) Kittrick. He was married to Lucy Neff Kittrick from 1953 until her death in 2021.

Jim earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in Soil Science, working his way through college with summer agricultural jobs. He retired from Washington State University in 1989 after 34 years as a Professor of Soil Science, and was Chairman of the WSU Environmental Science program for three years. He published over 80 scientific articles, trained graduate students and taught graduate courses in soil minerology and soil chemistry. His research in clay minerology has been useful for scientific investigations of ancient climate studies, African volcanic sediments, oil drilling muds and nuclear waste depository design. He was a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy.

Jim was a longtime member of the Sierra Club. He headed a successful effort to establish the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness area in 1978. He testified before Congress several times.

Jim was a long-time member of the Klahane Hiking Club of Port Angeles, and served as president for two years. In his time on the peninsula, he hiked the majority of the trails of Olympic National Park with cherished companions. He also regularly rode the Discovery Trail where he made many friends. He was a strong believer in the value of cookies and exercise.

Survivors include his daughter, Carol Kittrick of Port Angeles and son and daughter-in-law Bruce and Debra Kittrick of Redding, California and grandchildren Brian Kittrick of Monterey, California and Kara Kittrick of Renton, Washington.