Obituary

Dr. William R. Dickinson a major scholar in plate tectonics and Pacific archaeology, died in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga, on July 21, 2015 at the age of 83.

Dr. Dickinson was Professor emeritus at the University of Arizona, Tucson, where previously he had taught in the Department of Geosciences from 1979 to 1991. In his earlier career he had earned his degrees (BSc, MSc, PhD) from Stanford University where, he also had been a Professor from 1958-1991. Between 1952 and 1954 he served as an officer in the US Air Force.

Dr. Dickinson was a world-renowned geologist who was a significant contributor to the identification and study of plate tectonics in the 1960s and who later pioneered the study of sedimentary rocks to reconstruct plate movements and ancient landscapes. As one of his geological colleagues has stated, his research led to a completely new area of geological research that continues to this day. For this and other research Dr. Dickinson received many awards and recognitions. He was a long time member of the US National Academy of Sciences and former Chair of its Geoscience Section. From the Geological Society of America he was awarded the Penrose Medal, the Lawrence S. Sloss Award and most recently (2015) the Riprap Award. In April he was recognized and given an inaugural award by the School of Geosciences at Stanford University as one of its most distinguished alumni.

Dr. Dickinson’s work in archaeology began in the 1970s when he discovered in Fiji that, if you analyze the mineral grains used in the manufacture of ancient pottery, and you understand the geology of different areas in the Pacific, you can identify where the pottery comes from. Later he became interested in reconstructing sea levels across Oceania to understand the ancient landscapes first peoples encountered. His work in Tonga included studies in Ha‘apai in 1992, Tongatapu in 2001 and Vava‘u in 2005.  His research has been instrumental in the identification of Nukuleka Village as Tonga’s first settlement. At the time of his death, Dr. Dickinson was in Tonga on a brief visit to Nukuleka and other early archaeological sites around the lagoon on Tongatapu. He passed away in his sleep.

Dr. Dickinson is survived by two sons, Edward and Ben, two step-sons, Jon and Brian Spencer as well as three grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and one great grandchild. At the wishes of his family, he will be buried at Mala‘e Sia in the village of Nukuleka. Burial is expected to be on Sunday, August 2, at 2:00pm.

- DVB.