October 26, 1935 – April 28, 2013
Norris Cecil Hundley, Jr. passed away peacefully on April 28, 2013. He was born to Norris and Helen Hundley on October 26, 1935, in Houston, and is survived by six younger siblings. In 1954 Norris met Carol Marie Beckquist at San Gabriel Mission High, they fell in love and were married on June 8, 1957.
Norris graduated from Whittier College in 1958. After receiving his Ph.D. in History in 1963 from UCLA, he taught at the University of Houston for a year before returning to UCLA in 1964. He was a Professor of American History at UCLA from 1964 – 1994. Professor Hundley was a renowned scholar of water rights in the west.
Professor Hundley was editor of the Pacific Historical Review for almost thirty years (1968-1997), and instrumental in shaping the field of the American West as well as the Pacific Rim through his introduction of new scholars and fields to this leading journal. As a scholar, Professor Hundley has authored over a hundred books and essays. However, Hundley is clearly best known for his scholarship about western water rights, beginning with his published book Dividing the Waters: A Century of Controversy between the United States and Mexico (1966, trans. Spanish 2000), and then he expanded his approach to examine Water and the West: The Colorado River Compact and the Politics of Water in the American West (1975, rev. 2009), both books serving as pioneers in the then-emerging field of water resource history. His research has been acknowledged by grants from the Ford Foundation Award, The National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Guggenheim Foundation.
And yet, what truly matters is the person he was and the impact he made on his family, friends, students, and colleagues. He promoted inclusivity and equity for all people. Our family will always be grateful for every moment he was in our lives and for every moment that we will carry him with us for the rest our lives. Truly the world is a better place for him having been here.
He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 56 years, Carol, his daughter, Wendy Harris, and her husband, Craig and his grandchildren Caitlyn Harris, Mackenzie Harris, and Paige Harris; daughter Jacqueline Reid and her husband Scott, and his grandson, Sean Kerr, along with step-grandsons, Matthew Reid and Seth Reid, and great-step granddaughter, Aubrey Reid.
A Memorial Mass will be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 1:00pm at 1300 East Valley Road, Santa Barbara, CA. A Reception will immediately follow the mass at Stella Mare’s 50 Los Patos Way Santa Barbara, CA.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Lewy Body Dementia Association, Inc. (404) 935-6444.
