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| In memoriam | |
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Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Emeritus James L. Clapp died March 31 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. He earned a bachelor’s degree in naval science and BS, MS and PhD degrees in civil engineering (1956 through 1964), all from UW-Madison. He was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps as an engineering company commander and later joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he began as an assistant professor in 1964. Clapp became dean of the University of Maine at Orono College of Engineering & Science in 1978 and returned to UW-Madison in 1984. He retired from the university in 1995.
He was a pioneer in remote sensing education and research and received the Congressional Medal for Antarctic Service for ice-flow studies in Antarctica in the 1960s. On campus, he was a member of the first executive committee of what now is the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Clapp also chaired the Wisconsin Land Records Committee, whose work became a national model for land information modernization.
He received numerous awards for teaching and research excellence, including the Steiger Award for Outstanding Teaching (1968), Polygon Outstanding Teacher (1972, 1973, 1975, 1985), New England Section ACSM Outstanding Educator (1977), ACSM National Fennel Award for Outstanding Educator (1981), and ACSM Presidential Citation for Meritorious Service (1987, 1989).
He is survived by his wife, Susan; sons Lee (Judith), Len (Jennifer) and Don; sister Jo-Ann Sivley, and many nephews and nieces.
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Date last modified: 05-Jun-2007
Date created: 05-Jun-2007
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