July 14, 2004--Vernon C. Svatos, 63, of Wilmington and Newark, died at home on July 3, after a brief battle with lung cancer.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Mr. Svatos served in the U.S. Army and then went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English/linguistics. He continued his study of English at the University of Delaware before embarking on a career in Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

Mr. Svatos later worked in computer information systems in the private sector but returned to GIS, joining the Water Resources Agency (WRA) in 1994. Vern was an assistant policy scientist serving as GIS coordinator in WRA, which is a unit in UD’s Institute of Public Administration. He developed a wide range of systems and projects used for environmental analyses. He was valued as a GIS educator and expert resource.

Mr. Svatos was passionate about his work and even more passionate about developing the potential in his students and interns.

He was an ardent baseball player and fan. He loved to travel with his wife in the U.S. and abroad.

He is survived by his wife, Kim Carrigan; daughter, Erica and her husband, Lance Powers, of Chesapeake City, Md.; sister, Elaine M. Svatos, of Broadview Heights, Ohio; and friend and former wife, Karen Svatos, of Chesapeake City.

A celebration of Mr. Svatos' life will be held from 3-5 p.m., Sunday, July 18, at Brew-HaHa on Main Street in Newark. All friends and family are welcome.

Donations in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, GA 30368, telephone 800-ACS-2345 or [www.cancer.org]; or to Sojourners' Place, 2901 Northeast Blvd., Wilmington, DE 19802, telephone 302-764-4713.