Lee Davisson
Lee Davisson died Sept. 6, 2024. He was 62.
Davisson was born to David and Billie Davisson on Sept. 1, 1962 in Indianapolis, Indiana. During his childhood, he had a newspaper route. After spending his childhood in Indianapolis, he graduated from high school in Manassas, Virgina, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he started working in the printing industry. He attended San Francisco City College, and later transferred to the University of California, Davis to earn his bachelor’s degree in geology and his master’s degree in geochemistry. He joined the Chemistry and Materials Science Division of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1992. Here, he was instrumental in developing innovative applications of isotope hydrology to support multiple laboratory programs in water resources and groundwater protection. His work in Southern Nevada was prominent during the evaluation of environmental effects of the underground nuclear weapons detonations at the Nevada Test Site. He also developed significant collaborations with the Orange County Water District in Southern California to advise and support their groundwater restoration and recycling program. After moving between several divisions, he transferred to the Forensic Science Center (FSC). Here, he worked on projects in nuclear nonproliferation, ranging from detailed analytical chemistry projects in his laboratory to first responder training events and also to scientific engagement projects across the globe. He was among the first U.S. technical teams to travel to Libya and Jordan to train Libyan and Iraqi nuclear weapons scientists on how to establish water quality programs. He also traveled to and consulted with nuclear scientists in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, aiding in their nuclear nonproliferation programs. Later, he supported the FSC’s Department of State Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation programs by training emergency first responders from Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia and Lebanon in detecting threat chemical and biological materials. As an instructor, he provided our foreign partners with the skills needed to protect themselves during a suspect threat event, screen for suspect threat materials, rescue victims and implement decontamination procedures. In 2012, he started his own groundwater consulting business to foster groundwater solutions in the Owens Valley, Medicine Lake, Hat Creek, the Amargosa Desert, Mount Shasta and the Republic of Haiti, and help clients determine the resiliency of their groundwater.
He is survived by his wife, Heidi, his children, Joshua, David and Sarah, his brothers, Jo and Pete, and his sister, Cemantha, his nephew, nieces, and grandniece and many cousins.
A funeral and memorial service were held on Sept. 11, 2024. Donations can be made in his name to the Lee Davisson Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Pedrozzi Foundation, Congregation Beth Emek, The ALS Network, Outward Boun, and The Nature Conservancy.
