Passing of Dr. Bill Murphy
Our hearts are heavy to share the news that Professor Emeritus William “Bill” Murphy, who taught geological and environmental sciences for 12 years, passed away August 21. He was 69.
Born April 7, 1952, at Fort Stuart, Georgia, he earned a bachelor’s degree in earth science from University of California, Davis in 1974, a master’s degree in geology from University of Oregon in 1977, and a PhD in geology from UC Berkeley in 1985. He then spent the next two years working in the Basalt Waste Isolation Project at Hanford, Washington, and then worked from 1988 to 2000 at the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analysis in San Antonio, Texas.
In 2000, he was hired at Chico State as a professor of geological and environmental sciences. During his time at the University, he participated extensively in department and college committees, including hiring, general education science curriculum, ecology and environmental sciences curriculum, and the professional master’s program in environmental sciences. He also served as graduate coordinator for environmental sciences.