Verne N. Rockcastle

Rockcastle, Verne Norton

Verne Norton Rockcastle, 95, Cornell professor emeritus, was born on New Year's Day, 1920, and died on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015. Born in Rochester, NY, to Glenn Hubert and Grace Norton Rockcastle, he graduated from Syracuse University (BS), MIT (MS), and Cornell (PhD). In 1943 Verne married Madeline Thomas Rockcastle, then a stewardess with American Airlines, and joined the Cornell faculty in 1956. He maintained a Cornell office until 2011. As a professor of Science and Environmental Education, "Rocky" trained future public school teachers in the science behind such everyday events as cricket chirps, swinging pendulums, doorbell buzzers, and chalk squeaks. Rockcastle also conducted hands-on science workshops for elementary school teachers around the country. Rockcastle wrote the Cornell Science Leaflets, an elementary school nature and science program, for 15 years. He co-authored "Teaching Science with Everyday Things," and was the lead author of an elementary science textbook series used throughout the United States and French-speaking Canada. "Rocky" was a popular Cornell Adult University professor, leading summer field trips on natural history from Alaska and the Galapagos Islands to Arizona and the gorges of Ithaca. He continued to lead CAU trips and teach a course on "Our Physical Environment" for many years after retirement. He received the Eva Gordon Award for children's science writing from the American Nature Study Society, and was named Outstanding Science Educator and Robert H Carleton Award recipient by the National Science Teachers Association. "Rocky" loved the Adirondacks, and was an avid skier, fly fisherman, and canoeist. A founding member of the Finger Lakes Runners Club, he held two state-level Masters Track Team event medals. But his family knows he would most like to be remembered as an enthusiastic and creative teacher of future teachers. Verne is survived by Madeline, his wife of 71 years; daughters Lynn (Forrest) Thye of Blacksburg, VA, and Diane (John) Wiessinger of Ithaca, half-sister Lois Rockcastle, four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Ruth Rockcastle Riter. A memorial service for Verne Rockcastle will be held at Kendal at Ithaca, 2230 North Triphammer Road, Ithaca, on Saturday, April 18, at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the Adirondack Wild Center (wildcenter.org, 45 Museum Dr, Tupper Lake, NY 12986) or to the conservation charity of your choice .

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