Peter I. Bediz ’41, MS ’42 of Calgary, Alberta, died December 4, 2010. Born in 1914, Peter was educated in Turkey and was a master of languages, speaking English, French, and Turkish fluently, and able to converse in Greek. He attended Mines on a grant from the Turkish government and graduated with a professional degree in geological engineering. A year later, he was awarded a master’s degree in geophysics, one of the program’s first graduates at a time when Mines was the only school in the world offering a degree in the subject. He later earned a doctorate in economic geology from MIT.

He began his career with National Geophysical, but left to work with Turkey’s Mining Exploration Institute shortly thereafter. Following compulsory military service, Peter returned to the U.S. with his wife and children and began working for Century Geophysical, where he remained for 22 years, ultimately becoming president and CEO. He was involved in a number of professional organizations throughout his career, and at one point ran his own consulting firm. He is survived by his wife, Ayzer; sons Joseph, John and Peter; stepchildren Jade Yesim and Emre Unal; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.