Theodore Folsom, Oceanographer at Scripps, Dies
Theodore Robert Folsom, 82, an oceanographer and physicist associated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography for three decades, died Friday at Parkside Special Care Center in El Cajon.
Folsom, a native of San Diego, pioneered the development of methods for tracking radioactive contaminants in the ocean. He is the author of many papers on that and other topics.
Folsom began his affiliation with Scripps in 1952, when he received his Ph.D. from the institution. He remained on the Scripps staff until his retirement in 1975.
Folsom graduated from San Diego High School and received undergraduate and master’s degrees from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Before joining Scripps, he conducted research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
His father, Murtrie Folsom, was one of the early developers of Pacific Beach.
Folsom is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Edith, and his daughter, Polly Morris.
Funeral services will be private, and it is requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of San Diego.
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