Dr. Bruce Ellsworth Davis
March 8, 1945 - April 22, 2021
Dr. Bruce Davis-loving husband, father, grandfather and intrepid geographer-passed away in Seattle, Wash. on April 22, 2021 at the age of 76.
Dr. Davis was a former chair in the department of geography at EKU.
He earned a bachelor's degree in geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Ph.D. from University of California, Los Angeles.
Bruce was a true geographer, who circumnavigated the globe twice, lived on two different continents and in the South Pacific, and visited every state in the U.S. for research and pleasure. He met his wife Tina on the way to Kenya where he was doing his doctoral research. They would have celebrated 43 years of marriage this summer.
Bruce taught at various universities in the U.S. and was an early adopter of computerized cartography technology. He was the first geographer to be invited to work with NASA astronauts at the Houston Space Center, teaching shuttle astronauts remote sensing photographic techniques to be employed during shuttle flights. He was invited to return to NASA for a second summer internship.
He was awarded two back-to-back Fulbright scholarships. With support funding from the United Nations, his Fulbright mission was to create a Geographical Information System (GIS) Centre at the University of the South Pacific, a consortium university for 12 South Pacific nations. At the request of the Fiji government, the scholarship was renewed for an unprecedented second year, after which he stayed on for several years as part of the university’s faculty.
Dr. Davis authored two editions of a successful GIS textbook and continued his teaching career in the states of Washington and Kentucky. His final position was at EKU. Bruce and Tina Davis left Kentucky in 2018 to settle in Seattle, Wash. with their daughter Erin and grandchildren.
Dr. Davis is survived by his wife, Tina; daughter Erin; son Eric; grandchildren Evelyn, Gabriel and Leon; brother Paul; and sister Denise Sbravati.
Honoring his wishes, Dr. Davis’ family donated his remains to the University of Washington Medical School, to continue educating students, even after death.
A celebration of life is planned with his family for a later date.