CISE mourns the loss of Fred Garst

On August 16th, the JMU community lost a colleague and dear friend, Fred Garst, who passed away peacefully in his home.

Fred taught in the Geographic Science Program for many years. He was a leader in GIS and remote sensing with the Harrisonburg field office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Fred also provided innumerable internships to GS students, some of whom were working with him this summer. He helped many faculty in their research and teachings.

"Fred was a talented JMU alum and very proud of it,” said GS and ISAT Professor, Dr. Carol Nash. “He always had a smile and a kind word for you, and never hesitated to offer help. He truly loved working with our students."

“Fred was a great contributor to our programs and a generation of students was fortunate to have studied with or been mentored by him.  We’ll miss his gentle spirit and his keen intellect,” said Dr. Bob Kolvoord, Dean of the College of Integrated Science and Engineering.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at johnsonfs.com.