Dr. Joel Smith Watkins, Jr.

dr. joel watkins, jr.
Joel Smith Watkins, Junior, 83, of New Braunfels, Texas, passed away from complications due to stroke on Tuesday, February 23d, 2016. Joel was born May 27, 1932 to Joel and Eva (Byers) Watkins in Poteau, Oklahoma, and grew up in Warren, Arkansas. In 1953, Joel was commissioned an officer in the United States Marine Corps upon completion of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a B.A. in Geology. After his medical retirement from the Marine Corps as a First Lieutenant, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his PhD in geophysics in 1961. After completion of his doctorate, Joel worked as a geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Texas at Austin, and Gulf Oil Corporation; ultimately retiring from Texas A&M University as a Professor Emeritus in 2002. For his work training astronauts and designing seismic instruments for Apollo 14, 16 and 17, he was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and the USGS Outstanding Performance Award. He was the Vice President of Exploration Research for Gulf, and was the Earl F. Cook Professor, Departments of Oceanography and Geophysics, at Texas A&M University from 1986 to 2002. Joel was an active member of the New Braunfels Lions Club and a member of multiple professional societies in the areas of geology and geophysics. His work took him all over the world, and he loved to travel. Survivors include his two daughters, Catherine Barker of Pittsboro, NC and Victoria Pinkston of Aberdeen, NC; two sons-in-law, Bradley Barker and Robert Pinkston; one grandchild, Rebecca Watkins of Chapel Hill, NC; his brother Don and sister-in-law Carol Watkins of St. Louis, MO, his dear friend Lilly Santamaria and several nieces and nephews. Joel was a loving and beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. Memorial donations can be made to the Texas Lions Camp at www.lionscamp.com/Memorials.html.

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  1. Joel was my teacher and friend that I learned a lot from in science and technology. He will be deeply missed by his students and friends. He was a very generous person and used to invite me an my family to his ranch in Hearne, Texas very often while I was studying at Texas A&M in the 1990s where I met some of his family members. He and I visited Al-Hasa town of eastern Saudi Arabia in 2000 where we spent a lovely evening over a traditional dinner with my family members amongst date palm trees. He later honored me by having dinner with me and my family at our home in Dhahran where my wife and kids enjoyed his company. My family and I will miss him very much and we all will remember his generosity and kindness for many years. May God have mercy on him.

  2. What an amazing man. Brilliant, with a great wit, and a smile that made you feel welcomed and loved. My cousin Joel always had fascinating things to talk about and owned all the “latest gadgets” when I was a kid. He was a great listener and enjoyed telling stories of his travels. He loved his family, all kinds of animals, and adventure. A true inspiration to never stop learning.

  3. God bless you Joel Watkins He was my Professor and Supervisor of my Dissertation at Texas A&M University on early 90s I learned a lot from him. He taught us how to deal with our clients on a professional way We won together several awards based on conference presentations at GCAGS, AAPG, and SEG While he was the chairman of the Geophysics department at TAMU, he kept taking his graduate students and some of the professors to his ranch to make a close bond between students and professors He came on 2000 to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia as a consultant to the project that I managed and was funded by Saudi Aramco We made a series of presentations on our project and on his project at Gulf of Mexico that I was member of it During his visit to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, we made an Aggies parity with several of TAMU graduates at my home Finally, I am proud that I was one of prof. Joel Watkins students at Texas A&M University God bless all

  4. Joel fue mi fiancé y Dios me lo llevo a la Paz Eterna. Todos los días lo estraño mucho. Durante siete años fue dulce e incondicional. Fue un Gran Caballero. Conocí a su hija Catherine y a Brad su marido. Viajamos a Argentina y toda mi familia quedó fascinados con su Cultura y prestancia.


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