OBITUARY: PROFESSOR JOHN D. WIRTH

Professor John Wirth, 66, a resident of Santa Fe, NM and Atherton Calif. and an ICF donor died June 21 in Toronto of a heart aneurysm while delivering a talk about the famed American explorer Zebulon Pike.
Professor Wirth was born in Dawson, near Raton, NM in 1936. He attended high school in Denver and the Putney School in Vermont. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1958 and received his doctorate in Latin American History in 1967 from Stanford University. He taught contemporary Brazilian history, environmental history and Canadian history at Stanford, where he held the Gildred Chair of History. He retired from Stanford in June.

Professor Wirth was also president of the North American Institute (NAMI) based in Santa Fe, a tinational organization founded by Wirth to promote new approaches to North American issues and deepening trinational understanding.

Writing was Professor Wirth's passion and he wrote four books on Latin American history, which were widely used in the field. He also was the author of Smelter Smoke in North America: The Politics of Transborder Pollution and was co-author of eight books, including one co-edited with Richard Kiy entitled Environmental Management on North America’s Borders. In 1994 Professor Wirth was appointed by the White House to serve as one of five U.S. members on the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). He also served on the tri-national board of the Mexico-based non-profit organization, Environmental Education and Training Institute of North America (EETINA).

Kiy recall’s Professor Wirth for his passion and commitment to furthering trinational relations between the United States, Canada and Mexico. According to Kiy, "through John’s leadership at the helm of NAMI, he played an important catalytic role in bringing together diverse interests to advance trilateral cooperation on a wide-range of issues impacting North America in the areas of education, the environment and social policy" Kiy also noted that "he was a thought leader in shaping the vision for a North American community." On a personal level Kiy recalls the unforgettable times they shared together over the past decade in spirited discussions about North America’s future including one such conservation that had while combating the humidity and mosquitoes of a Venezuelan rainforest. Kiy added, "John was a dear friend and will be truly missed."

Mr. Wirth is survived by his wife, Nancy Meem Wirth, daughter of architect John Gaw Meem; sons Peter Wirth and wife Anne Stuhldreher, Nicholas Wirth and wife Hannah; grandson Alexander Wirth; and granddaughters Elena, Charlotte and Zoe Wirth; brothers Timothy Wirth and John Wiebenson; and sisters Carla Henebry and Mary Gilland.

A memorial service was held on June 27, 2002 at 11 a.m. at Holy Faith Episcopal Church on Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, NM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to either the North American Institute, 708 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501; or the Putney School, Elm Lea Farm, Putney, Vt. 05346.