Richard R. Doell

Richard R. Doell Born in Oakland in 1923, Richard Doell died in his sleep on March 6, 2008 at his home in Point Richmond, CA, following a series of serious illnesses. Richard grew up in Carpinteria, CA. After serving in Europe during World War II, he resumed his studies at Berkeley, married Ruth Jones, a fellow student, and earned his doctorate in geophysics in 1955. Following teaching positions at the University of Toronto and MIT he joined the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA, in the Geophysics Branch. His team established a time scale of reversals of the earth's magnetic field, which was of critical importance to the acceptance of the theory of plate tectonics. For this work Richard Doell received the prestigious Vetleson Prize, which he shared with two of his colleagues, and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Richard retired from the Survey in 1978. Having built a 38 feet sailboat he began a series of long sailing cruises to Alaska, French Polynesia, and Northern Europe. In 1984 he married Janet Hoare who joined him on those voyages. Since 1993 Richard devoted much of his time to photography, specializing in the photography of lichens as an active member of the California Lichen Society. He is survived by his wife Janet Doell; daughters, Kerstin Doell of Seattle and Shirley Doell of Point Richmond, CA; and a large family of devoted stepchildren, as well as step grandchildren and great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.