Norris Hundley Jr., 77; UCLA Professor, Water Rights Scholar

Norris Cecil Hundley Jr., a former resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully on April 28. He was 77.
Born to Norris and Helen Hundley on October 26, 1935 in Houston, Texas, Norris is survived by six younger siblings.
In 1954, he met Carol Marie Beckquist at San Gabriel Mission High. They fell in love and were married on June 8, 1957. They moved to Pacific Palisades in 1965, then to Malibu in 1979.
Norris graduated from Whittier College in 1958. After receiving his Ph.D. in history from UCLA, he taught at the University of Houston for a year before returning to UCLA in 1964. He was a professor of American history at UCLA from 1964 to 1994, and was a renowned scholar of water rights in the west.
Professor Hundley was editor of the Pacific Historical Review for almost 30 years (1968-1997), and instrumental in shaping the field of the American West as well as the Pacific Rim through his introduction of new scholars and fields to this leading journal.
As a scholar, Professor Hundley authored more than 100 books and essays. However, he is clearly best known for his scholarship about Western water rights, beginning with his published book “Dividing the Waters: A Century of Controversy between the United States and Mexico” (1966, trans. Spanish 2000), and then he expanded his approach to examine “Water and the West: The Colorado River Compact and the Politics of Water in the American West” (1975, rev. 2009), both books serving as pioneers in the then-emerging field of water resource history. His research was acknowledged by grants from the Ford Foundation Award, The National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Guggenheim Foundation.
And yet, what truly matters is the person Norris was and the impact he made on his family, friends, students and colleagues.  He promoted inclusivity and equity for all people. Truly the world is a better place for him having been here.
He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 56 years, Carol; his daughter, Wendy Harris (husband Craig); and his grandchildren Caitlyn, Mackenzie and Paige Harris; his daughter Jacqueline Reid (husband Scott), and his grandson, Sean Kerr; along with stepgrandsons Matthew and Seth Reid, and great-stepgranddaughter Aubrey Reid.
A Memorial Mass will be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on Wednesday, May 22, at 1 p.m. at 1300 E. Valley Road in Santa Barbara. A reception will immediately follow the mass at Stella Mare’s, 50 Los Patos Way.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Lewy Body Dementia Association, Inc. (404) 935-6444.
Arrangements entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary.