Gary Kocurek, emeritní profesor University of Texas v Austinu a předseda našeho Mezinárodního poradního sboru (MPS), zemřel 5. června při dopravní nehodě. Touto tragickou událostí jsme ztratili přítele, mentora i kritika, který spolu s dalšími členy MPS přispěl k pozitivním změnám a internacionalizaci v našem ústavu v posledních letech. Světová geovědní komunita přišla o jednoho ze svých žijících klasiků: Gary strávil většinu svého života studiem eolických sedimentárních systémů (tedy větrem ukládaných sedimentů, zejména v pouštích) a klimatických podmínek, s nimiž souvisejí. Zabýval se celou škálou prostorových a časových měřítek transportu sedimentů, od základní dynamiky tekutin až po formování čeřin a dun, vývoj dunových polí a pouští – na Zemi a později během jeho kariéry i v rámci výzkumu Marsu.
Gary Kocurek na terénní exkurzi na Strážnicku, v rámci konference CEMSEG, 2013. Foto Ondřej Bábek.
Plné znění nekrologu je v angličtině:
We have learned a very sad news from Dianna Kocurek about her husband Gary, chairman of our International Advisory Board: on June 5, Gary Kocurek died in a traffic accident while riding his bicycle near their farm in central Texas. In this tragic event we have lost a friend, mentor, critic, a guardian of high scientific standards who had invested much effort to help boost the merit of our institute. The global geoscience community has lost one of its living classics: Gary spent most of his lifetime studying the behaviour and sedimentary record of aeolian depositional systems and the climate dynamics they are related to. He has tackled the full range of spatial and time scales of sediment transport, from basic fluid dynamics to bedform formation, evolution of dune fields and deserts, on Earth and later also on Mars.
After receiving his doctorate (1980) from the University of Wisconsin, Gary joined the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin – one of leading geoscience centers in the United States that later became part of the Jackson School of Geosciences. Gary remained affiliated with the Austin department until his retirement in 2017. Throughout his career he contributed to the scientific reputation of his workplace, taught countless courses, trained a large number of graduate students and postdocs, authored and co-authored about 200 scientific papers. In 2001-2004 Gary served as Chair of the Department. A 2018 UT Austin web article lists many of his achievements and can be found here.
Gary teaching in the field, with his typical fervor. Brazos River, Texas, 2004. Photo by David Uličný.
Gary had always had a special relationship with Czechia. His ancestors who arrived to Texas in the 19th century came from the village of Hovězí in the Valašsko region. The history of the Valachs and their region were Gary’s life-long interest, shared with Dianna who also has Valach ancestry (not suprisingly they met in a Czech language class). Beginning in the 1990s he and Dianna traveled to Czechia regularly; in late 90s Gary also started to meet Czech geoscientists, occasionally giving a talk at Charles University during his visits to the country.
In 2005, Gary spent several months as Fulbright Fellow in Czechia, hosted by the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The fellowship involved also teaching at the Charles University, Prague; for students of his course this was their first encounter with world-class physical sedimentology, principles of morphodynamics and view of sedimentary processes as self-organizing complex systems. As part of his course, Gary invited leading international experts to give guest lectures. His contacts with Czech geoscience continued over the years: for example, with our late colleague Jaroslav Kadlec they came up with a novel interpretation of Quaternary deposits in Southern Moravia.
Gary Kocurek and Jaroslav Kadlec, CEMSEG conference field trip, 2013. Photo by Ondřej Bábek.
Gary contributed to the success of the first international conference on sedimentology organized in Czechia, the CEMSEG meeting in Olomouc (2013), as member of the conference scientific board. At our institute Gary kept in touch mainly with David Uličný and his sedimentary basins group (now within the Surface Processes and Paleoclimate Team). Importantly, in 2019 Gary accepted our invitation to become a member of the International Advisory Board of our institute, and in February 2020 he became its Chair. This role was not a ceremonial one; Gary’s insight, critical judgment and leadership helped to make the Board a dedicated advisory body, important in the transition of our institute towards a more international and competitive workplace.
Apart from strictly professional interests, Gary was actively involved in many other areas. To mention just one – following retirement, he and Dianna engaged with great vigour in restoring a native landscape on their property and elsewhere in Texas. In 2023, the Kocureks received the Lone Star Land Steward award by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the Blackland Prairie ecoregion.
In the video, don‘t be misled by the first few seconds reminiscent of an advertisement for a hobby market…it is an example of Gary’s sense of subtle, dry humour – including the words that can serve as a special motivation slogan: „If you want a good workout, clear brush.“
We miss Gary – but remain grateful and happy for having met him.
David Uličný
PS. I thank Dianna Kocurek for having agreed with publishing this obituary on our website and for correcting some factual details.