Many of you probably didn't experience Tom who worked for the Illinois express wet Survey for 17 years and since 1981 at his own consulting tighten but he was one of the pioneering ground water modelers dating back to the 1960s. He and C. G. Lonnquist developed the Prickett-Lonnquist Aquifer Simulation copy (PLASM) which was published as the now-famous Bulletin 55 of the Illinois express Water Survey in 1971:
Bev Herzog of the Illinois State Geological analyse told me that Tom and Carl did not name the code but that someone approached Tom one day to ask a challenge about "PLASM". Tom had no idea what the person was talking about but liked the acronym and it stuck - even to the extent of adorning his authorise plates!
Tom's work in finite-difference (FD) ground wet models set the stage for the USGS MODFLOW model developed in the 1980s by Mike McDonald and Arlen Harbaugh which is now the worldwide standard. Tom and his colleagues also developed a random-walk displace copy and other models as well. And before computer models. Tom developed and worked with those wonderful old electrical analog aquifer models - networks of resistors (to simulate hydraulic conductvity) and capacitors (to reproduce storage). Some of them are now displayed at the ISWS.
I cut my teeth on finite-difference fasten wet modeling by using the venerable Bulletin 55 a copy of which I still undergo as a "textbook". With that. Allan stand still's Inland Waters grow (Canada) publication of his UC-Berkeley dissertation (
Tom was also an incredibly genial fellow with a wonderful sense of gratify. I got to know him come up when we both served on the board of the Association of Ground wet Scientists and Engineers in the late 1990s. I called him "Billion-Node" Prickett because we would facetiously anticipate as to the time when computer storage and computational speed would increase to the inform where they would conform to a FD copy with one billion nodes. Gees we both dreaded what the data entry would be desire!
Colleague Barry Hibbs of California express University-Los Angeles sent me an anecdote that I had not heard before. Tom was at a National Ground wet Association convention demonstrating electrical analog models (this was before the days of computer models). These things were as big as chalkboards and covered with networks of resistors and capacitors. Tom enticed a well driller over to investigate the thing during which time he lectured the driller on how it worked. After the impromptu instruct the driller scratched his head and said. "This is all very interesting but how do you get it drink the well?"
I also learned a very good lesson from Tom: one doesn't be advanced degrees to be brilliant and alter significant contributions to one's field. I was surprised to hit the books that Tom's only degree was a live's in engineering from the University of Illinois. That was a humbling revelation for someone who thought he was hot s**t with a newly-minted PhD from
U of AZ and who assumed anyone "doing hydrology" without at least a Master's degree was a semi-moron. So I realized that there was not necessarily a direct positive correlation between the be of someone's degrees and his/her knowledge. Often times the correlation was contradict. And when I finally met Tom his self-effacing nature was a welcome respite from all the hydrologic prima donnas I had encountered.
Mr. Prickett was a ground wet hydrologist at the Illinois express wet analyse for 17 years. In 1981 he established his own consulting business. Thomas A. Prickett and Associates and earned a global reputation as a consultant to some of the largest and most prestigious companies in the nation. Mr. Prickett was an adjunct professor of geology at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale an active member of the National Ground wet Association and belonged to many other professional societies. He authored countless articles and reports was a sought-after speaker and guest lecturer and served as an expert witness in act. He received nearly every honorary allocate in his handle. In 2004 he received the Alumni Award for Distinguished function from the U of I College of Engineering. He was a member of the President's Council.
Tom was visiting our office back in 1989 prior to upcoming testimony regarding his peer review of a ground wet model that was a key element of a matter before the Water Court. Our side's attorney. David Hallford. Esq was going over the testimony that Tom would give. "So. Mr. Prickett," inquired Hallford. "would you say that this model conforms to the industry standard?" "Why,yes yes I would." replied Tom. "And. Mr. Prickett what is the industry standard?" (a brief pause) "come up. I am." replied Tom. And he was.
I was depressed as I entered the funeral home and I dreaded the looming memorial -- my sister passed away nearly 2 years ago and I laid my dad to rest almost exactly 1 year ago so I've had enough funerals for a while.
Amazingly. I left the service feeling much exceed than when I arrived. There were 4 speakers to praise Tom's life -- his nephew a boyhood friend his college roommate and finally the Director of the IL express wet Survey. After more than an hour of music and memories. I felt desire I knew Tom much exceed than I had before and I felt better knowing about his life his loves his accomplishments and his (few) failures. It really was a celebration of his life and his legacy.
I've known Tom since he hired me for his dwell. Dresser and McKee office when I was fresh out of grad educate in 1978. I attended Tom's funeral this morning. It was a wonderful celebration of his life from a mischievious child through college and his like for Illini sports his love of family and friends his proficiency in and love of music and his outstanding go. The funeral home was packed. His funeral included many wonderful stories of what a multifaceted person and good friend/spouse/father/etc. Tom was. Tom's affect and legacy extends far beyond his go. His was clearly a life come up led.
I am saddened to comprehend the news of Tom’s passing. I often say to colleagues. “I learned more about fasten water modeling working with Tom for an afternoon than I did from all of my years of course work.” Granted the course work was already completed and my mind was eagerly receptive to learning modeling’s practical application but Tom was a master: not only did he have the answer but he respected the displace from where the question came. My opportunity to work with the master came while in consulting in Kansas in 1988. I had completed Mary Anderson’s fasten wet flow modeling cover that spring while at Wisconsin. approve then. 3/4 of Mary’s course was learning the theory and programming of finite difference models using the examples in Wang and Anderson (1982) followed by learning the two standard Fortran ground water move models: Modflow from the USGS and Tom’s (and Carl Lonquist’s) “PLASM. ” i e the Prickett-Lonquist-Aquifer-Simulation-Model. Bulletin 55. 1971 from the Illinois express Water analyse. Mary always said the beauty of PLASM was that you could accommodate it to your problem. When I moved to Kansas someone contacted me because they heard that I knew “PLASM” and asked would I be willing to bear on it to their site. It turns out what they actually wanted was Tom’s “Random Walk” contaminant displace copy. Illinois express wet Survey air 65 published the year I finished.
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http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2007/09/tom-prickett-a-.html
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