Dr. Morley, founder first President of Canadian Remote Sensing Society (CRSS) Passes

In the early 1970s, Dr. Morley was the founder and first President of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society (CRSS) and the first Director General of the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS). His contributions to remote sensing in Canada and internationally are immense. He leaves for us all a legacy of kindness, integrity, passion, and dedication to the peaceful and productive use of remote sensing for the public good.

Larry made important and lasting contributions in several fields, most notably of course remote sensing, but also geology. He was the first geophysicist at the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) from 1952, and he played a lead role in developing the Morley-Vine-Matthews hypothesis that laid the foundation for the Theory of Plate Tectonics. He later led the development of remote sensing techniques that were used in the production of thousands of maps of the natural resources of Canada and elsewhere.

He was a pioneer both scientifically and through numerous new initiatives in remote sensing, for which he was recognized as the first recipient of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society Gold Medal in 1986. He was awarded the Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 1995, and in 1999 was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (OC). A veteran of World War II, he served as a radar officer for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic and other missions.

A public Memorial Service in honour of Dr. Morley will be held Saturday May 25, 2013 at 1:00p.m. at St. George’s Anglican Church in Owen Sound, Ontario.