Kiguma Jack Murata

Kiguma Jack Murata
Born	December 29, 1909 Marysville, California, U.S.
Died	December 27, 2001(2001-12-27) (aged 91) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Spouse	Elizabeth F. "Betty" Murata ​ ​ (m. 1938)​
Awards	Fulbright Scholar (Geology, 1984–85)
Notes
[1][2][3]

Kiguma Jack Murata (December 29, 1909 Marysville – December 27, 2001 Sacramento) was a Japanese American geochemist of the U.S. Geological Survey who served as Scientist-in-Charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory from 1958 to 1960.[4] Murata was a fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America and the Geological Society of America,[5][6] and served on the Standards Committee of the Geochemical Society in 1957.[7]

In 1980, Murata received a Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1980,[8][9] the department's highest honor.[10]

Personal life

Murata married Fumiko Elizabeth Kozono in 1938.[11][12] She was also known as Elizabeth F. Murata by the time of her death.

Kiguma Murata's son, Stephen K. Murata, won an Air Force Commendation Medal in 1967.[13]

Mineralogy

The mineral murataite-(Y),[14] commonly known as murataite, was named for him in 1974.[15][16] The tree species Ochroma murata (genus Ochroma)[17] is also named for him.[18] Murata was also involved in naming minerals, such as faheyite, which he, with Marie Louise Lindberg, named for Joseph John Fahey.[19]

Memberships

During the 1940s and 50s, he was a member of the Optical Society of America,[20][21] as well as a member of both the Hawaiian Academy of Science around 1960 and the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists in the 1970s.[22][23]

Impact

Murata died 2001 in Sacramento, California to pneumonia, following a stroke months earlier.

After his death, he was extended a tribute in the House of Representatives by Robert T. Matsui, who described him as "one of the most distinguished scientists and Government employees among Americans of Japanese ancestry in this country."[24]

References

1. Cattell, Jaques, ed. (1949). "Murata, Kiguma Jack". American Men of Science (8th ed.). Lancaster, PA: Science Press. p. 1782.
2. "Elizabeth F. "Betty" Murata". The Sacramento Bee – via Legacy.com.
3. "Directory of American Fulbright Scholars 1984–85" (PDF). Council for International Exchange of Scholars.
4. Babb, Janet L.; Kauahikaua, James P.; Tilling, Robert I. (2011). "The story of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory—A remarkable first 100 years of tracking eruptions and earthquakes". U.S. Geological Survey General Information Product 135. General Information Product: i-63. doi:10.3133/gip135.
5. Hurlbut, C. S. Jr. (1947). "Proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Mineralogical Society of America at Chicago, Illinois" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 32 (3–4): 189–214.
6. "GSA Honors 50-Year Fellows" (PDF). GSA Today. 8 (10): 18. 1998.
7. "Report of the Council Meeting of the Geochemical Society: November 3, 1957" (PDF). Geochemical News (9): 1–3. February 1958. ISSN 0016-7010.
8. "Appendix Three: Distinguished Service Award Recipients" (PDF) – via Orders & Medals Society of America.
9. "Awards" (PDF). Pacific Citizen. Vol. 92. February 6, 1981. p. 5. ISSN 0030-8579.
10. "Awards & Recognition". U.S. Department of the Interior. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
11. "Marriage Licenses 1853 - 1957: GROOM" (PDF). fairfaxcounty.gov. YUMPU 3879715.
12. "Marriage Licenses 1853 - 1957: BRIDE" (PDF). fairfaxcounty.gov. YUMPU 3687363.
13. "Meritorious Service" (PDF). Pacific Citizen. Vol. 64, no. 8. February 24, 1967.
14. "Murataite-(Y)". Mindat.org.
15. "Kiguma Murata Obituary (2001) - Sacramento, CA". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2023-05-20 – via Legacy.com.
16. 涼介, 牧 (2017). 合成ムラタイトシリーズの構造解析および電気的特性 [Structural Analysis and Electrical Properties of Synthetic Murataite Series] (PDF) (Thesis) (in Japanese). University of Tsukuba. hdl:2241/00148136. CORE 43934619.
17. "Ochroma murata". Mindat.org.
18. Brown, Roland W. (1934). "The recognizable species of the Green River flora". U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 185-C. doi:10.3133/pp185C. ISSN 2330-7102.
19. "Faheyite". Mindat.org.
20. "Annual Report of the Secretary of the Optical Society of America, Inc., For the Calendar Year 1948". JOSA. 39 (7): 616–618. 1949-07-01. doi:10.1364/JOSA.39.000616.
21. "Geographical Directory of Members". JOSA. 44 (12): 1182–1193. 1954-12-01. doi:10.1364/JOSA.44.001182.
22. "Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting". Proceedings Hawaiian Academy of Science. Honolulu, Hawaii. 1960. hdl:10524/2155. ISSN 0374-1915.
23. Shaver, Robert H.; Maher, John C. (1973). "Society Records and Activities". Journal of Paleontology. 47 (2): 336–400. ISSN 0022-3360. JSTOR 1302900.
24. "126 Cong. Rec. (Bound) - Extensions of Remarks: December 3, 1980". Retrieved 2023-05-28 – via GovInfo.

Further reading

• Wells, Roger Clark; et al. (1946). "Contributions to geochemistry, 1942-45". U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 950. doi:10.3133/b950. hdl:2027/mdp.39015078690602. (describes much of Murata's work during this period)