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William W. Patton Jr. of Menlo Park, a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, died June 2 at the age of 86.
Retiring in 1992 after 45 years of government service, Mr. Patton continued to work as an emeritus geologist with the USGS until the time of his death.
Mr. Patton spent his entire career concentrating on the geology of Alaska. He joined the USGS in 1948 to do research on the North Slope as part of the Naval Petroleum Reserve Program. His major studies focused on the little known Yukon-Koyukuk region of west-central Alaska. He also studied the islands of the Bering Sea and conducted extensive discussions with Russian geologists on the geological correlations between Alaska and the Soviet Union.
He was honored in 1986 by the Department of the Interior with a Meritorious Service award for his geologic studies of western Alaska. He mapped more than 60,000 square-miles of terrain in Alaska, more than any other individual in the modern history of the USGS, say family members.
Born in Vancouver, Canada, Mr. Patton spent his childhood in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cornell University, and later received a doctorate in geology from Stanford University.
An avid hiker and lover of the outdoors, Mr. Patton frequently took hikes on the Peninsula with his wife, Peggy. His respect for the earth and desire to maintain its natural beauty was well known, say family members. Surviving members of the family are his wife of 58 years, Peggy of Menlo Park; children James Patton of New Orleans, Amelia Haworth of Houston, Texas, and Elizabeth Patton of Minneapolis; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held later this summer. Memorial donations may be made to the Peninsula Open Space Trust, of which Mr. Patton was a strong supporter, 222 High St., Palo Alto, CA 94301; or to a favorite charity.
