Professor Thomas Meixner Maryland Promise Scholarship

The University of Maryland community mourns the loss of Thomas Meixner. Known as Tom to his classmates, he graduated in 1992 with bachelors degrees in soil water conversation and the history of science.  His interest in dirt (nicknamed Dr. Dirt by his Alleghany Hall roommates), water and plants stemmed from hours playing in the backyard sandbox, gardening with his father– Raymond, picking strawberries with his mother– Betty, and hiking or skiing in the great outdoors.  At UMD, he actively participated in student life by his involvement in University Honors Program, Student Union Program Council, and Catholic Student Center. Like his three older sisters (Anne, Margaret, Joan) he was inducted into the leadership honor society Omicron Kappa Delta, Sigma Circle.

After successfully battling leukemia, he earned his doctoral degree in hydrology and water resources from the University of Arizona in 1999. As the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Department Head and Professor at the University of Arizona, Professor Meixner worked to educate the next generation of water researchers and to make the world better through biogeochemistry.  Thomas’s passion for hydrology and our ecological environment showed up in his everyday life and interactions with others – biking to work, informing his UMD classmates about sustainable choices, and of course, telling them to shut off the water!

Tom was an amazing man who achieved great heights in his career, deep loves with his family, friends and faith and impactful contributions to his community. His family and classmates would like to honor Tom’s legacy with an endowed Maryland Promise Scholarship that has a preference for students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

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