Jesse Louis York

Louis was born on May 1, 1918, on a cattle ranch in Yoakum County, Texas, to Jesse L and Alma Sealy York. A few years later his father became a field representative for the Federal Land Bank and the Federal Intermediate Credit Bank, working with banks, ranchers, and farmers in the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado. Louis was home-schooled until 1928, when he entered the school system of Wichita, Kansas, from which he graduated in 1934.

Joining his parents in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he attended the University of New Mexico, receiving a B.S. in Engineering in 1938. Enrolling in the University of Michigan, he received a M.S in Chemical Engineering in 1940. Continuing graduate studies while teaching various engineering courses through World War II, he completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, which was awarded by the University of Michigan in 1950.

Continuing as a faculty member, teaching, conducting research, and consulting in chemical engineering, he remained in Ann Arbor, Michigan, until 1970. During this thirty-year period in academe, he became a pioneer in the developing field of environmental engineering.

Also during the teaching and consulting period at the University of Michigan, he was a principal co-author of a major textbook, “Unit Operations”, a contributor to two other books of Desalination of Sea Water”, author or coauthor of a score of technical articles and about thirty technical reports, and received three U.S. patents in his work.

In 1970 Louis became Chief Environmental Scientist at Stearns-Roger Engineering Corporation, and moved to Denver, Colorado. He was instrumental in developing and using Environmental Impact Statements, leading a group of about 30 scientists and engineers, in 16 different scientific disciplines, in the preparation of almost 100 such documents.

In 1983, Louis retired from full-time employment, becoming an independent consultant and also a Vice-President of Senior Management Consultants, Inc, in Denver. Among various activities he became a busy practitioner in the preparation of Environmental Site Assessments to assist in property transfer and financing.

From early 1970’s to the 1990’s, Louis served on the board of directors of the Colorado School of Mines Foundation. During three years of that time, he served as the Executive Director of the Foundation.

In 2011 Louis and Ruth moved to the Austin, Texas area. He is survived by 5 children, Kathleen Carson of Rosepine, LA, Dr & Mrs Michael J. Ford (Marsha) of Riverton, WY, Ruth Ann Gilbert (Warren) of Wimberley, TX, Mary Jane Schooley of So. Orange, NJ and Elizabeth Spencer of LaVeta, CO, 14 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren and many family and friends. He is predeceased by wife Ruth Robinson York, whom he married in 1975, daughter Terrell Hemingway, granddaughter Hester Spencer and great grandson Christian Hoskins.

In the summer of 2017 his family will host a private memorial to fulfill his last wishes to scatter his ashes near the cabin he shared with his wife in LaVeta, Colorado.