Dagfin John Cederstrom

1908 – 1997

Dagfin John Cederstrom, also referenced as D. John Cederstrom and D.J. Cederstrom, did not ordinarily use his first name, Dagfin. He was born in Norway in 1908, and was brought to America while a small child. He received his B.S. in chemistry from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Arizona in Tucson. John, or "Seedy" as he was known to friends, was internationally recognized as an authority, teacher, and writer on groundwater hydrology. He spent 38 years with the U.S. Geological Survey as a groundwater hydrologist, two of which as a visiting professor at the University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where he taught graduate groundwater hydrology in Brazilian Portugese. In addition to Brazilian Portugese he also read, wrote and spoke French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Norwegian. He practiced his profession in various parts of the United States, including the Virgin Islands and Alaska, and overseas in Libya from 1955-1957 (foreign aid), and in Okinawa, Brazil, and Yemen. Dr. Cederstrom was awarded a Bronze Star for his work as a civilian specialist with the "Seabees" (Construction Battalion) in the spring of 1944 during the American invasion of Okinawa. He worked immediately behind the front lines locating well sites and mapping coral limestone deposits for the construction of airfields. Dr. Cederstrom's major publications are listed in this Public Library. He was married and had three children. He enjoyed poetry, music, history, stamp collecting, horticulture, photography, and intellectual discussion on various topics. He was an ardent steam train buff and would spend considerable time and effort chasing down and photographing them, both in the United States and overseas. He died in 1997.