Bruce Hannon, professor emeritus of geography, passed away on Sunday, February 18th. He was born in Ivesdale and lived as a consummate Midwesterner, remaining firmly rooted in central Illinois apart from his time serving in the Army. Bruce earned all three degrees from UIUC (BE ’56, civil engineering; ME ’65, engineering mechanics; PhD ’70, engineering mechanics) and devoted his life to education and public engagement on and around the Urbana campus, most notably Allerton Park.
Bruce was an active participant in the development of a new economic/environmental accounting system that enabled transactions to be recorded in monetary values and energy units (BTUs) in the same system. This work was based in the Center for Advanced Computation where there was a lively, entrepreneurial spirit and collaboration across multiple disciplines. Its unfortunate closure had a net positive effect as Bruce joined the Geography faculty and remained a fixture in Davenport Hall for 40 years. Bruce conducted groundbreaking research and taught courses in biological and earth systems modeling, dynamic natural resource simulations, and mentored countless undergrad and graduate students. He taught these concepts in courses including ‘’Biological Modeling” and “Dynamic Simulation of Natural Resource Problems.”
Bruce founded Prairie Rivers Network in 1967 with his wife Patricia (who passed away in 2022) and was a lifelong environmental advocate dedicated to preserving prairieland in his native central Illinois. He and colleagues formed the Coalition on American Rivers (COAR) and effectively saved Allerton Park by preventing the Oakley Dam project.
He grew and donated oak trees, repaired clocks and gave campus clock tours, and hosted a 'Christmas Eve Irregulars' event for many years at historic locations in and around Champaign/Urbana. He leaves an extensive family and contacts throughout the local, national, and international environmental communities.
Visitation
Friday, March 1st
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Roux-Hinds Funeral Home
348 N Piatt Street, Bement
Memorial Mass
Saturday, March 2nd
10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph s Catholic Church
199 5th Street, Ivesdale
Read more about Bruce Hannon
- A Life Remembered (News-Gazette): Professor's passion for environment ran like clockwork
- Prairie Rivers Network: Honoring Bruce Hannon's Legacy
- Bruce discusses his inspiration to save Allerton park with The Lincoln Hall Project
- Bruce gave Campus Clock Tours for many years.
- "Battle for the Sangamon"