Robert B. Hargraves, a member of the Princeton University geosciences faculty from 1961 to his retirement in 1994, died March 21 at age 74 from viral pneumonia brought on by complications from radiation and chemotherapy.
His family will host a gathering in his honor at Prospect House on the Princeton campus on Friday, March 28, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Hargraves was internationally known for his broad concern with geologic problems spanning the full 4.5 billion-year history of Earth, as well as with the geology of other solar system bodies. The day before he entered the hospital for his final visit, he was finishing up work on a previously unanticipated type of rock magnetism with major implications for understanding the geological history of Earth, Mars and the moon.
"All of us in the geosciences department had the highest regard for Rob as a scientist and a colleague," said Anthony Dahlen, chair of the department. "Through his broad geological perspective, he made many important contributions to science, and we are saddened that his career was tragically shortened."
Further details are available in a news release .
Contact: Lauren Robinson-Brown (609) 258-3601