William Harrison

William E. Harrison, PhD

William "Bill" Earl Harrison of Lawrence, Kansas, passed away on November 8, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Otto and Macie Beatrice Harrison, and his siblings, Frances DuRee, Jessie Owens, and Kenny Harrison. He is survived by his wife and partner in all things, Cynthia Ann Harrison; his children, Scott (Nadine) Harrison of Rochester, New York, Joy (Greg) Scrivener of San Antonio, Texas, Julie Black of Lawrence, Kansas, his grandchildren, Andrew, Meredith, and Ethan Scrivener of San Antonio, and his loyal pug, Rylie.

Bill was born in Galveston, Texas, on April 7, 1942 and grew up in nearby Texas City. One of his earliest memories was surviving the 1947 Texas City ammonium nitrate explosion, still among the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history. Shaped by a childhood spent along the Gulf of Mexico, he developed a lifelong love of the sea. Bill earned his B.S. in geology from Lamar University in 1964, his M.S. in geology from the University of Oklahoma in 1966, and his Ph.D. in organic geochemistry from Louisiana State University in 1976. His early career blended that affection for the ocean with his scientific curiosity, leading him to the National Science Foundation's Deep Drilling Program, where he became an early contributor to horizontal deep sea drilling research. His work often placed him at the heart of historic moments; he was in Washington state to study Mount St. Helens when it erupted in 1980, and the next year, while on assignment with a team of geologists and geochemists in Egypt, he found himself fleeing into the desert after the assassination of President Sadat, eventually making his way to Germany with the help of German research colleagues.

After returning to the University of Oklahoma as a professor, Bill met his wife, Cindy. They later moved to the Dallas area during the oil boom of the 1980s, where he worked for Atlantic-Richfield. His career also took him to Idaho with Lockheed-Martin under the Department of Energy before he finally settled in Lawrence, Kansas, retiring as director of the Kansas Geological Survey. Bill authored over 75 research articles and his 2001 book, Geological Perspectives on Climate Change, is part of the Smithsonian library.

In addition to his formidable career in geoscience, Bill was an avid fisherman, and loved country-western music. He and his beloved Cindy spent many weekends at the American Legion, listening to their friend Troy's band. Bill collected black pottery from the Santa Clara native American tribe, and had a special interest in Texas history. He was an accomplished woodworker who took pride in sourcing wood from interesting places. Bill especially adored being Grandpa to his three grandchildren, and loved taking them fishing, sneaking out for late-night hot fudge sundaes or chili dogs, and staying up late watching Indiana Jones movies with them.

The family would like to thank Dr. Kevin Steuver and Dr. Sherry Soule for taking excellent care of Bill. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Lawrence Humane Society would be appreciated.

Even though Bill expressed no desire for a formal memorial service, family and friends will gather to share memories and celebrate Bill's life on Friday, Feb. 13, 5:30 PM, at Moore Hall, Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Ave, Lawrence KS.