James “Jim” Joseph Alberts ’65, an award-winning marine scientist, died on Oct. 25, 2024, in Athens, Georgia.
His lifelong passion for oceanography began with a degree in biology and chemistry from Cornell, where he played football and was a member of Alpha Theta Alpha. He received his master’s in organic chemistry from Dartmouth College and his doctorate in chemical oceanography from Florida State University in 1970.
He began his research career at the University of Georgia (UGA) in the zoology department. Later he worked at the Argonne National Laboratory and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. In 1984 Alberts became the director of the UGA Marine Institute at Sapelo Island, serving for 16 years. He retired from the UGA’s School of Marine Program in 2003. During his career he authored more than 100 articles in professional journals. He was the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior U.S. Scientist Award and the Fulbright Research Scholar Award.
Both professionally and in retirement he was a world traveler. Since retirement he was able to pursue his interest in history, especially World War II. He was a board member of The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UGA and a frequent presenter. Friends will remember him through his sense of humor and the daily cartoons he shared.
Survivors include his wife, Monika Takacs, and daughter Jill Alberts.