Obituaries

Dr. Samuel Parker Uselton passed away peacefully in his home. By disposition he was an absent-minded professor, a teacher with infinite patience who delighted in answering questions whether they came from his children, his grad students, or teenagers he tutored in his later years. By trade, over the course of his life he was a 7-11 employee, a land surveyor, a college professor, and a computer scientist at NASA Ames and later Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was a pioneer in computer visualization; his first big paper has been referenced by over 1,000 subsequent publications. Sam spent his early years in Dallas playing on his grandfather?s property. He came of age in Austin in the late 60s, and the music scene there sparked a love of folk, rock, and blues that would follow him his whole life. Sam Uselton was a bright spot in the universe, a person with a pure joy of discovery that was rare in adults and all but the most pleasant children. He was appreciated for giving his children "whale rides" in the pool and relating myths, whether ancient Greek, 20th century American, or personal. He loved live music and recognizing actors in old movies. He knew mysteries of the universe from advanced mathematics, to making a beer bottle sound like a foghorn. He is survived by his parents Gene and Peggy, his two little brothers Robert "Dutch" and Andrew, his three children Joshua, Elizabeth and Catherine, and a host of loved ones. Sam would have been 62 this month. A memorial will be held Sunday, May 19th at the Lake Elizabeth teen center at 39770 Paseo Padre Parkway in Fremont. Turn off Paseo Padre at Sailway Drive. Speakers will begin at 11 am. In lieu of flowers please donate to Wikipedia, or your favorite charity.