Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov


Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov was a professor at the Department of Geography and the Environment at University of Texas at Austin and a specialist in the cultural and historical geography of the United States. He authored several influential scholarly books and articles and a widely adopted introductory textbook. Jordan-Bychkov served as president of the American Association of Geographers in 1987 and 1988.

Early life and education

Jordan-Bychkov was born on August 9, 1938, in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in University Park, Texas, where he attended Highland Park High School. He majored in geography and German at Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1960. He earned a master's degree at the University of Texas in 1961, and a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1965. His doctoral dissertation, German Seed in Texas Soil, focused on German settlers in Texas.

Career

He began his career as an associate professor at Arizona State University Tempe campus, where he was an assistant professor of geography from 1965 to 1969. He served as geography department chair at North Texas State University from 1969 to 1982. In 1982 he became the Walter Prescott Webb professor of geography at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught for the rest of his life.
He was elected vice president of the AAG in 1986, and president on April 9, 1987. He was a member of the Pioneer America Society, Texas State Historical Association, Texas Folklore Society, Texas Institute of Letters, and Phi Beta Kappa.

Personal life

He married Marlis Anderson in 1962, and Bella Bychkova in 1997. He died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Austin, Texas, on October 16, 2003. A classroom in the department where he taught is named in his honor.

Notable publications