Obituaries
Edward Stone, Pat Quigley

12 February 2003

Edward Stone

Edward Stone
Professor emeritus of forestry Edward Stone, an influential voice in the management of California forests, has died at the age of 85.

Stone, who taught at Berkeley for 39 years and continued to conduct research up until last year, died Jan. 11 at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Walnut Creek following a short illness.

Stone’s meticulous studies of how seedlings regenerate roots throughout the year led to changes in planting practices in the Sierra Nevada. Up until the 1950s, foresters planted seedlings in the fall, but Stone’s research revealed that survival rates for the seedlings significantly increased if they were stored under refrigeration and planted in the spring.

“Ed’s arguments led to a major change in nursery practices, switching from fall planting to spring planting,” says Janet Cavallaro, a research scientist in forest ecology at Berkeley and one of Stone’s last graduate students.

To better understand the factors affecting tree growth, Stone built five state-of-the-art controlled-environment rooms in the basement of the Oxford Tract greenhouse, where they remain today. Many of his colleagues still consider the rooms impressive by today’s standards.

Stone was born in Cairo, Ill., on Nov. 28, 1917, the fifth of seven children. Two years later the entire family moved to Berkeley, where Stone attended the city’s public schools. In 1940 he received his B.S. in agriculture at Berkeley. Following service in World War II, he returned to the campus in 1948 and earned his Ph.D. in plant physiology. He joined the faculty as an instructor in 1949 and continued teaching — with the exception of two years’ service during the Korean War — until he retired as a professor in 1988.

Even after he retired from teaching, Stone actively continued his research at Berkeley. His final paper on root-growth capacity of the white fir, co-authored by Cavallaro and research associate Edward Norberg, is scheduled to be published later this year in the scientific journal New Forests.

Stone, who earned many professional accolades throughout his career (including a Fulbright Research Scholarship and a Guggenheim Fellowship), was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1988 he received the Berkeley Citation, one of the campus’s highest honors for extraordinary achievements in his field and outstanding service to the university.

Stone is survived by his sons, Brian of Benicia, Calif., and David of Blairsden, Calif., and four grandchildren.

A public memorial service is scheduled for 3 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 23, at 159 Mulford Hall. A reception follows from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Morgan Hall Lounge.
— Sarah Yang

Pat Quigley
Staff member Pat Quigley, lead steamfitter in the Engineering & Utilities division of Physical Plant – Campus Services, died suddenly on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2002. He was 54 and had worked on campus for 21 years.

As lead steamfitter, Quigley worked to improve the campus’s steam infrastructure — pioneering many creative solutions when dealing with the problems associated with an antiquated system.

“A man who never asked others to perform a job he would not do himself,” says coworker and friend Mike Tam, “Pat earned the loyalty and admiration of his co-workers with good counsel, a gentle demeanor, and a caring attitude. He worked with enthusiasm and promoted a safe and healthy environment for others.We will miss him dearly.”

Quigley also served for more than a decade as chief shop steward for the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County, AFL-CIO, and was a member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union, Local 342. “His tireless advocacy and input on Union contracts was invaluable,” says Tam, “and will serve the welfare of our craftspeople for years to come.”

A lover of sailing and the ocean, Quigley lived on a sailboat in the Emeryville Marina. A memorial service was held Jan. 12 at Alumni House.

Quigley is survived by four sisters, two sons, and a granddaughter, Bella. A fund has been created for Bella’s education; donations should be made out to Colleen Quigley (Pat’s sister), and sent to the Quigley Family, c/o Kate Andreas, 275 Linda Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523.