Douglas Kirkland Obituary

Douglas Wright Kirkland was born on April 30, 1931 to Robert and L'Vere Kirkland in Vallejo, California. He had fond memories of a joyful childhood in the San Francisco Bay area. During World War II, his family moved to Long Island where his father worked day and night on a top-secret project, probably radar technology, until his untimely death in 1943. Alone, his mother drove Douglas and his sister Cynthia all the way from New York back to California, using extra gasoline rations designated for a widow, at speeds limited to 35 mph. Douglas lived with his grandparents in Calistoga, California for a year before his mother remarried and moved a blended family of seven back to Belmont on the peninsula. Douglas attended Burlingame High School and excelled at athletics. He was a distance runner on the track team and an all-league football player (San Francisco to San Jose). An adventurous outdoorsman, Douglas often joked that it was "a miracle he survived his youth." He loved hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He spent his holidays going down the John Muir Trail, climbing mountains (including Fin Dome), sliding down scree slopes, and made adventure-filled trips into Mexico. His experiences in the Sierras surrounded by beautiful rocks led him to earn a degree in Geology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1954. He was proud of his service in the Army from 1954 to 1956 as a Clerk Typist at the Presidio of California. He was grateful for military benefits that allowed him to pursue a master's degree and PhD (1963) from the University of New Mexico. There he met and, in 1958, married his wife of 62 years, Peggy Lou Kirkland. Between his MS and PhD degrees they lived for a short time in Durango, Colorado where he worked for Pure Oil Company. After completion of his doctorate and a NSF postdoctoral fellowship, he was hired by Mobil Oil to work at the Field Research Lab, then in Duncanville, later in Dallas, Texas. He worked at the Mobil Research Lab for 28 years including 5 years in Palynology (the study of fossilized pollen & spores), which he deemed a fascinating subject because evolution could be seen through the microscope, 5 years in well logging, where he made remarkably innovative contributions, 4 years on sandstone formation, and spent the rest of his years with Mobil largely on research in organic chemistry, developing concepts which are still used in the oil industry. After retirement he continued to do research in geology, including further studies on layers of the Castile Formation, which had been the focus of his NSF post-doctoral fellowship, papers on Carlsbad Caverns, and a series of papers related to salt dome cap rock. All told, he was an author on more than 50 scientific papers covering a variety of topics in geology. Retirement also allowed him to continue his daily exercise habit with more vigor, and he enjoyed entering and winning many 5K races in the Dallas area. Douglas was known among his friends and family for his gentle kindness, good humor, measured calm, love of family, and dedication to science. He was a principled advocate for the equality of all people and lived his values by treating everyone he met with respect and dignity. He was a student of stoicism and drew wisdom from the world's ancient philosophical texts. He was especially drawn to the work of Charles Darwin on evolution, which he found profoundly meaningful. For Douglas, the pursuit of scientific understanding was a calling to contribute to something greater than oneself, and to offer lasting knowledge for the furtherance of humanity. In listing the highlights of his life, he included giving his children and his grandchildren the opportunity to pursue higher education. Douglas Kirkland passed away on May 26, 2025, surrounded by family. He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and L'Vere Kirkland, stepfather, Stanley Robertson, sister, Cynthia Lubnau, son-in-law, F. Leo Lynch, and wife, Peggy L. Kirkland. He is survived by his sister, Marilyn Whitsel, brother, David Robertson, sister-in-law, Peggy Robertson, sister Barbara Green, brother-in-law Donald Green, son, David R. Kirkland, daughter-in-law, Michelle Kirkland, daughter, Brenda L. Kirkland, and grandchildren, Maggie J.W. George, Billiejean I. Kirkland, and Anthony I. Kirkland.