Andy Ford (Class of 1962, valedictorian) died 29 December 2024 from dementia at the age of 80. More than a scholastic star, Andy was a half-back on the Trona Tornado football team and ran track on the Ruth Mine tailings-covered track (really a fast surface!). He received a BS in electrical engineering from UC Davis, then went on for an MS in mathematics at Harvard, finishing with a Ph.D. in Systems Dynamics Engineering at Dartmouth. Worked at Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico for 10 years, then became a Professor, first at USC and then Washington State Univ. Andy loved teaching, mentoring several graduate students and writing a well received (and in current use) textbook “Modeling the Environment”.
He married his high school sweetheart, Amy Stone, and was a loving, dedicated family man for over 50 years. They have 2 daughters with 5 grandchildren, who live in Grand Junction, Colorado, close to Andy and Amy. Andy loved fly fishing and spent many hours hiking along brisk flowing rivers in California, Washington, and Colorado.
https://www.lmtribune.com/obituaries/frederick-andrew-andy-ford-18481703
I’m not surprised to read about Andy’s accomplishments. He was a brilliant student and great natural athlete. He was so quick and such a good runner that he’d run all over the football field to avoid getting tackled. I always knew we’d gain yardage when I handed him that ball but I never knew where he was going to go once he had it. He was fun to watch. Andy was also one of the nicest guys in school and a solid Christian. My condolences to Amy (another of my favorite classmates) and family.
he will be missed