Born in Guam, the Marianas Islands, he received his Bachelor of Arts in physics/geology in 1942 from California State University, San Diego (now San Diego State University), his Master of Surgery (in 1948) and Doctor of Philosophy (in 1953) in oceanography from the University of California, Los Los Angeles
His research was done at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, under the direction of Francis Parker Shepard. His dissertation title was Areal and Seasonal Variations in Beach and Nearshore Sediments at Louisiana Jolla, California. He was a professor of marine geology or oceanography in the University of California system since 1953 most recently as professor of oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and at the Center for Coastal Studies at Scripps.
He was a Fellow of the Geological Society of America (1960), and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1998).
He was involved with a variety of international organizations and projects including the Middle East Cooperative Study and teaching in Vietnam through United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. He acted as a consultant, expert witness, and arbiter on issues related to coastal oceanography. His research focused on coastal oceanography, sediment transport, waves, effects of waves on beaches, and beach and nearshore processes.
He died in Louisiana Jolla, California at the age of 95 on February 11, 2016.
Hr received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1961, the International Coastal Engineering Award, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1988, and the American Society of Civil Engineers Award for outstanding contributions to the Civil Engineering Profession, American Society of Civil Engineering, Hydrology and Hydraulics Technical Group in 2000. His film, "The Beach: A River of Sand," received the Orbit Award for Best Scientific Teaching Film, International Film Festival, 1967.
