SIUE Mourns Passing of Dr. Francis Odemerho
The SIUE community is mourning the loss of Francis Odemerho, PhD, of Edwardsville, who died Friday, Dec. 4 at his residence from heart failure. He was 68.
A native of Aragba-orugun, Nigeria, Odemerho joined the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences faculty in 1991 as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Geographic Information Sciences. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 1996 and awarded tenure in 1997. Prior to his arrival at SIUE, he taught at the University of Benin in Nigeria for 10 years.
"Our University community has lost a valued colleague and long-time member of the SIUE family,” said SIUE Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Denise Cobb, PhD. “We are truly grateful for Dr. Odemerho's many years of service and his contributions, particularly his engagement and support of our international students and the many students he mentored.
“Beyond his scholarly accomplishments, Dr. Odemerho brought a calm and cheerful disposition to his interactions, and his work added to the cultural diversity and knowledge of his department and our University. We hope that memories of him will bring comfort to our students, faculty, staff and his family during this difficult time."
A specialist in geomorphology, the geography of Africa, Odemerho published articles in a number of scholarly journals, including Applied Geography, Environment and Urbanization, and Geoforum.
In nearly 30 years as an SIUE faculty member, Odemerho taught many different courses, including Introduction to Physical Geology and Geography, Physical Geography, Meteorology, Geomorphology, and Geography of Africa. He also taught cultural impacts on geomorphic processes and forms, and GIS applications in geomorphology.
Odemerho earned a bachelor’s with honors in geography at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria in 1976. He earned both a master’s and a PhD in geography from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1980 and 1982, respectively.
Arrangements will be made known as they become available.
