Edward J. "Ned" Taaffe
1922-2001
A Memory

Edward James "Ned" Taaffe died Tuesday, June 26, 2001 at age 79. His Columbus Dispatch obituary ends with the following words, which epitomize the man in many ways.

Ned's deep attachment to his wife, his family and friends, his sense of humor, his enthusiasm for learning and good conversation, his integrity, and above all, his kindness, are the invaluable gifts that he has left all of us.

Articles memorializing Ned appear in the Annals of the AAG and Urban Geography. Copies are available upon request.

Here, in our own memory of Ned, we present two discourses on his life and significance to this Department of Geography.

Resolution of the Ohio State University
Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University expresses its sorrow upon the death on June 28, 2001, of Dr. Edward J. "Ned" Taaffe, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography, age 79.

After earning bachelor's degrees in both Journalism and Meteorology, Dr. Taaffe served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force during World War II in Western Europe. After marrying Marialyce Dunne in 1948, Dr. Taaffe received his MS in 1949, and his PhD in 1952, both in Geography. He taught at Loyola University in Chicago from 1951-58; then at Northwestern University. In 1962 he, Marialyce, and their eight children moved to Columbus, where Ned was appointed to be Chair of the Geography Department at The Ohio State University.

Through writing and teaching Dr. Taaffe established himself as an expert in the field of spatial analysis. He was enormously effective in promulgating the "Quantitative Revolution"; is credited with guiding and shaping the Ohio State Georaphy Department into one of the premier departments in North America; and accordingly, strongly influenced the direction of Geography as a discipline. Dr. Taaffe was elected President of the Association of American Geographers (1971-72) received an AAG Honors Award in 1982, and in 1983 a Master Teacher Award of the National Council for Geographic Education (the highest recognitions of those professional societies). Ned also was the first recipient, in 1990, of the Ullman Award in Trasportation Geography, the major recognition in that specialty.

Dr. Taaffe authored numerous articles and books, served as member of the World Book Encyclopedia editorial board, and as a consulting editor with McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. His 1974 Presidential Address, "Spatial View in Context" remains today a highly influential and cited piece, 27 years later. His 1973 Geography of Transportation is the major textbook on the subject, now in its 2nd Edition. Ned frequently commented on how much he enjoyed working with Marialyce on these projects, often in scenic provincial and state parks located throughout Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, and other locales.

Although Dr. Taaffe retire from the Geography Department in 1992 he continued to contribute by writing, collaborating with colleagues, mentoring students and presenting at national conferences. The Edward J. Taaffe Colloquium Series at Ohio State was establish in 1996 in recognition of his contribution to the field of Geography and higher education. The commemorative plaque reads "In recognition of outstanding service as Chair, 1962-1974; Teacher and Mentor; Major Contributor to Spatial Analysis and Geography". Ned was an avid participant in these, other departmental events, and siimply meeting with colleagues -- as a loquacious academic ever interested in professional issues of the day -- and as a n unbowed "new deal" democrat always eager to talk politics.

A primary tenet of Ned's, stated and re-stated through the years, was that undergraduate and graduate eduction are intimately linked. As a result, all faculty were expected to teach an introductory geography course, however high profile they were as a research and professional geographer. The practice continues to this day.

On behalf of the Univeristy community, the Board of Trustees expresses to the friends and colleague of Professor Edward J. "Ned" Taaffe its deepest sympathy and sense of understanding of their loss. It was directed that this resolution be inscribed upon the minutes of the Board of Trustees and that a copy be tendered to his colleagues in the Department of Geography as an expression of the Board's heartfelt sympathy.

Words Given At the First Taaffe Colloquium
Since His Death; At The Reception Following

Marialyce, Julie, and David were present
Other family members intended to come from Chicago, but a snow storm prevented that

Words by Larry Brown

I'm here to say a few words about Ned Taaffe.

This is a really tough assignment.

How does one sum up in five minutes the immense significance of one person to this Department of Geography and to Geography as a discipline overall?? Clearly one only nips at the corners of that immensity.

Let me say first, however, that Ned Taaffe is one of YOUR major, if not THE major, proessional fathers. Whether you knew Ned or not, whether you even heard of Ned or not, this academis unit -- in which you are either working or getting your degree -- is at its essence a reflection, if not a creation of, Ned, his beliefs, and his ability to realize those beliefs in concrete terms.

Similarly in Geography, Ned's presssence is very much reflected in what we are today. His book Geography, for the NAS-NRC's Behavioral and Social Sciences Committe (Prentice Hall 1970) is a major formative statement of the second-half of the Twentieth Century, a milestone in our Post-War II evolution as a discipline -- and the last such statemetn until thirty years later (Rediscovering Geography: New Relevance for Science and Society. National Academy Press 1997).

Many of us make contribution that are important and higly significant at the time. Few have so profoundly changed the course of a discipline.

In Ned's case, on mechanism of major change was a series of NSF-supported summer institutes (1961, 1962, and subsequently) that propagated the quantitative revolution. In taking up the chairship of Ohio State in 1963 NEd then proceeded to build a department mirroring his vision of the discipline -- with appointment such as Emilio Casetti, Howard Gauthier, Reg Golledge, Les King, Hal Moellering, John Rayner. A leagcy of this is Geographical Analysis, Morton O'Kelly, and the current Spatial Analytical Methods group (Mei-Po Kwan, Duane Marble, Joel Morrison, Alan Murray, Michael Tiefelsdorf).

It bears emphasis, however, that Ned's view ws broader than simply quantitative or (spatial analytic) methods. There aare several aspectes to this. New had a firm grounding in physical geography, having served as a meterologist in WWII, the source of his interest in geograpny as a profession. He also had a keen interest in geographic though (teaching the course at both Northwestern and Ohio State), and a firm background in epistemological foundations that preceded the quantitative revolution. Hence, while spatial analysis was the brand that Ned provided us, and defended; in fact, many of our faculty moved towards alternative or supplementary perspectives -- which is especially reflected in our students -- an exceptionally successful group with a range of epistemologies from Harvey Miller to Clair Parkinson to John Paul Jones to Vickie Lawson. An important point here is that this variety, and success at whatever is undertaken, should be traced to NEd and the regimen he instilled installed in all of us. geography came first, not simply his brand of it, and Ned remained interested in all that was happening in the field, even if it deviated from his own predilections.

In the forthcoming Annals Memorial article on Ned, written by Howard Gauthier, Bob Harper (Ned's classmate at Chicago) syas

While many of the new "quantitative geographers" were zealots who discarded geographic tradition, Ned sought to place the new perspective within the intellectual heritage of the filed. He was the quiet voice of reason. He saw the new analytical techniques as tools that fit into the intellectual framework of geographical tradition. The program he developed at Ohio State produced geographers who not only were articulate in analytical methods but knew how to use them within the conceptual framework of geography.

Even after retirement in 1992, Ned continued to engage the profession -- especially with a series of five AAG sessions (co-organized with Jim Wheeler, Univeristy of Geogia) on "Spatial Analysis in Geography", may papers of which were subsequently published (and recently referenced in an Annal (2001) article by Trevor Barnes on Retheorizing Economic Geography). Reflective of Ned's openness to different wasy of thinking, papers included in these sessions purposely included 'believers' and 'doubters', with 'debate' as the point. Illustrative is the Urban Geography example I've put with the sample of Ned's work. This includes papers by Eric Sheppard (Dissenting from Spatial Analysis), Kevin Cox (Concetps of Space, Understanding in Human Geography, and Spatial Analysis), and Waldo Tobler (Migration: Ravenstein, Thornthwaite, and Beyond) -- an obviously broad epistemological range. Indeed, to see Ned in the late '90s takign notes at a David Harvey talk is symptomatic of his engagement -- not necessarily to agree but at least to be able to argue from a solid base of knowledge. And people who saw Ned at the annual meetings after retirement were in awe at his enthusiasm. 'Why is he still doing it?' some would say. But if you knew Ned itmade perfect sense. And to the very end, Ned still had projects to do.

As just noted, I've placed several of Ned's works on the table for you to peruse and get a sense of the man as a professional. Especially pertinet in my mind are -- The Peripheral Journey to Work: A Geographic Consideratian (1963), which contains an early use of simulation and was 'must' reading when I was a graduate student (you can see my marginal notes in the display copy!!) -- "Transport Expansion in Unverdeveloped Countries" (Geographical Review1963) and "The Apatial View in Context" (AAG Presidential Address, Annals 1974), both of which remain today among the most highly cited articles and illustrate profoundly the breadth and openness of Ned's thinking -- Geography of Transportation (Prentice-Hall 1973) which defined a specialty that remains a major aspect of this department and Geography.

Accordingly, since 1996, Ohio State Geography has held an Edward J. Taaffe Colloquium Series, as marquee event whereby leading professionals intereact with the department for 2 days.

The colloquium plaque reads --

Edward J. Taaffe Colloquium Series
Department of Geography
Ohio State University

In recognition of outstanding service as Chair
1962-1974
Teach and Mentor
Major Contributor to Spatial Analyis and Geography

The first guest was, of course, Ned himself; other guests are major figures in Geography.

As Chair and faculty member, Ned not only hired -- he also mentored. A primary tenet of Ned's, stated and re-stated, was that undergraduate and graduate education were intimately linked; they could not be separated. All faculty were expected to teach an introductory geography course, however high profile they were as a research and professional geographer. This remains our practice, and it serves us well, especailly as we move into a new budget system.

Some peronal reflections -- Others may wish to add their own.

While Chair, Ned often said that having a large family was excellent training for being chair -- implying of course, that faculty were, after all, not so different from children (one can fill in the blanks as to what attributes are shared -- self-importnace?, personal needs?, in-fighting?). And I understand from Julie, Ned's duaghter, that he often echoed this at home with reference to 'hand holding' and 'nose wiping' at the office. Ned's wry wit.

I remember being truly surprised that Ned very much appreciated having a Colloquium Series named in his honor. That this would be personally meaningful had never occurred to me. But Ned ws involved with each speaker, related discussion, and presentation by others in related venues. His interacting spirit emerged on a regular basis.

All this might sound as if Ned didn't have a life outside geography. In addition to his family, he clearly did. One didn't have to be long in the man's company to realize his wide intellectual interests. Name a twentieth century novelist and Ned would have an opinion, and an informed one at that. Raise and issue of the moment and Ned would have an argument, though quite often from the standpoint of an unrepentant New-Deal Democrat. He aslo had a wry sense of humor. The company of Ned was never dull, even though you would often struggle to get a word in edgewise. Once launched there was no stopping the man.

So -- Yes, Ned, you are indeed still with us -- in a multitude of ways.