[Edge-all] Fwd: [Earthsci-faculty-tt] The passing of Dr. Charles F. Hutchinson (Ph.D. ’78)

[sandra.turner at ucr.edu]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: robert.allen--- via Earthsci-faculty-tt <
earthsci-faculty-tt at lists.ucr.edu>
Date: Mon, Sep 7, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Subject: [Earthsci-faculty-tt] The passing of Dr. Charles F. Hutchinson
(Ph.D. ’78)
To: earthsci-faculty-tt <earthsci-faculty-tt at lists.ucr.edu>
Cc: Edgeinstitute Edgeinstitute <edgeinstitute at ucr.edu>


*With the passing of Dr. Charles F. Hutchinson (Ph.D. ’78) – a UCR shining
light – the G6 are now the G5*



We are sad to report that one of our fellow UCR "G6" geographers passed
away on August 31, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona.  For most of his career, Dr.
Charles F. Hutchinson (Ph.D. ’78) was a professor of geography at the
University of Arizona, following brief residencies at Caltech's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Esri in Redlands, and Resources for the Future in
the nation’s capital.



Quietly competent in myriad aspects of the discipline ‘Chuck’, as we all
called him, was the epitome of what makes us all proud to share with him
the title ‘Professional Geographer’. In his fieldwork, his writings, his
administrative capabilities, his public service, his support of students,
and in his many friendships, he exuded mastery and enduring curiosity about
a wide range of topics, including – but certainly not limited to –
biogeography, natural resources, remote sensing, geographical information
systems, and arid lands (see his contributions in *Arid Lands: Today And
Tomorrow,* *The Future of Arid Lands-Revisited * and *World Atlas of
Desertification)*



A humble and droll man with a resonant voice and keen intelligence, he
always lit up when asked about his two accomplished daughters – Heather and
Sydney – both of whom shared his peaceful last days with him. He was at his
happiest when the entire family – including his four grandchildren and his
partners, Barbara and Jan – gathered for family reunions.  They were always
highlights for him.



Along with the five remaining members of the G6, Chuck dedicated
considerable effort and wisdom to raising funds for scholarships and
endowments supporting geographical studies at UCR.* Until his final days,
he expressed hope that the many Ph.D. geographers already on the faculty at
UCR could be brought together to help re-establish a dynamic, modern
geography degree program within the university akin to the academic
curriculum that prepared all of us for successful careers in academia,
government and the private sector.



Such a program, he asserted repeatedly, would equip UCR students with the
range of skills and sensitivity needed to live in greater harmony with our
natural and cultural environments. We shared the belief that such a
forward-looking step would be a fitting legacy for Dr. Hutchinson, one of
UCR’s shining alums—the G5: Don Chambers, Jim Huning, Dave Nichols, Mike
Pasqualetti, Tony VanCuren.



*
https://www.highlandernews.org/86268/six-ucr-alumni-teamed-up-to-establish-a-scholarship-helps-students-chart-course-for-science-to-policy-careers/
.



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