Maurice Blackmon

Maurice L. Blackmon went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, August 22nd at 6:30 pm. Last February he had been stunned by diagnosis of an aggressive cancer already metastasized to his brain. The brain tumors defied state-of-the-art medical treatment at University of Colorado Cancer Center and rapidly destroyed cognitive and motor abilities, but to the end he retained his personality and love for family and friends. His final hours were peaceful, held in the arms of his wife Marilyn, son Andrew, daughter Rachel, and nephew Daniel.

Maurice was born August 24, 1940 in Beaumont, Texas, and was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice L. Blackmon, Sr., and Madge English Blackmon. Maurice is survived by his wife of 42 years, Marilyn Hughes Blackmon (Boulder), his son and daughter-in-law, Andrew M. Blackmon and Erin Blackmon (Westminster, CO), his daughter, Rachel Hughes Blackmon (New York City), his nephew, Daniel P. Milroy (Boulder), his brothers George S. Blackmon, and Walter C. Blackmon (both of Lumberton, Texas), and three grandchildren he totally adored, Eva (5/16/07), Micah (6/1/09), and Hayden (7/2/09).

Maurice earned his PhD in Physics from MIT (1967), specializing in high-energy theoretical physics. He was first a postdoc at Argonne National Laboratory (1967-1969) and then Assistant/Associate Professor of Physics at Syracuse University (1969-1974). Maurice was a senior postdoctoral fellow at NCAR (1974-1975), during which he made a career shift from physics to atmospheric sciences. From 1975 to 1988 Maurice worked at NCAR as a scientist and served as chair of the Advanced Study Program. He then left NCAR to become Director of the Climate Research Division at NOAA (1988-1995). In 1995 Maurice returned to NCAR as Director of the Climate and Global Dynamics Division (http://www.ucar.edu/communications/quarterly/summer95/appointments.html) and retired in 2006. Maurice was a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, and a symposium to honor his contributions to atmospheric science was held at NCAR on October 29, 2007 (http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/events/webcasts/blackmon-symposium/).

In his personal life Maurice was an outdoorsman with a special passion and expertise in fly fishing for trout and steelhead -- on the Madison River in Montana, as well as prime fly fishing rivers in Colorado, Wyoming, British Columbia, and Alaska -- and also enjoyed outdoor photography, camping, hunting, and hiking. He was a connoisseur of classical music, taught Bethel Bible courses and RCIA Breaking Open the Word, and enjoyed reading history and literature.

The Funeral Mass will be Thursday, August 30, 6:30 pm, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Boulder with a dinner-wine-dessert reception following in the Church Hall downstairs. For more information or to offer an online tribute, visit the Greenwood & Myers Funeral Home website, http://greenwoodmyersfuneral.com/.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to support (a) Thomas Center campus ministry (http://www.thomascenter.org/support-campus-ministry/) (b) Lung Cancer Colorado Fund at the University of Colorado Hospital Cancer Center, earmarking the contribution for basic, clinical and translational research on lung cancer (http://www.uch.edu/conditions/cancer/lung/support-education/lcc-fund/, http://www.uch.edu/conditions/cancer/), or (c) conservation and restoration of rivers, lakes, and fisheries at Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/riverslakes/index.htm), Colorado Trout Unlimited (http://www.coloradotu.org/), or Greater Yellowstone Foundation (http://www.greateryellowstone.org/).