Leo Hickey, professor of geology at Yale and former director of its Peabody Museum of Natural History, died Feb. 9, 2013, from melanoma. He was 72.
Hickey graduated from Villanova in 1962 and received a Ph.D. in geology from Princeton in 1967. He began at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History and became a curator and research scientist in paleobiology. In 1982, he was appointed a professor in Yale’s geology and geophysics department and director of the Peabody Museum. As director from 1982 to 1987, he significantly modernized its operations.
An expert in the plant-fossil record, Hickey melded botanical and geological approaches to understand plant evolution. He led many collecting expeditions, especially in the northern Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Arctic. Hickey’s research produced six books and more than 80 papers.
Jay Ague, chairman of geology and geophysics at Yale, said of Hickey, “Many of his students have gone on to be scientific leaders in their own right, a testament to Leo’s rigorous and caring mentoring.”
Hickey is survived by Judy, his wife of 45 years; three sons; and three grandchildren.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.