Kendrick Crosby Frazier (March 19, 1942 – November 7, 2022) was an American science writer and longtime editor of ''
Skeptical Inquirer'' magazine. He was also a former editor of ''
Science News
''Science News (SN)'' is an American bi-weekly magazine devoted to articles about new scientific and technical developments, typically gleaned from recent scientific and technical journals.
History
''Science News'' has been published since ...
'', author or editor of ten books, and a Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
(AAAS). He was a fellow and a member of the executive council of
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "pro ...
(CSI), an international organization which promotes
scientific inquiry.
Frazier wrote extensively about a variety of
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
topics including astronomy, space exploration, the earth and planetary sciences, archaeology, technology, the history and
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...
, public issues of science, and the
critical examination of
pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...
and
fringe science.
Personal life
Frazier received a
B.A. in Journalism from the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
and a
M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in Journalism from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
He was a member of the
National Association of Science Writers and the
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's ...
.
Frazier lived with his wife, Ruth, in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...
. She is an international consultant in community development and a former president (1974–1997) of Futures for Children, an organization which works with
American Indians of the Southwest. They have a son, Chris; their daughter, Michele aka
Lady Ganga, died February 5, 2012, from
cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...
, months after completing a 700-mile expedition (called Starry Ganga)
standup paddleboarding down the
Ganges River
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
in India to spread awareness about cervical cancer and its
preventability and treatment.
Frazier died on November 7, 2022, at the age of 80.
Career
Frazier was the earth sciences editor of ''Science News'' in 1969–70. He was named managing editor in 1970–71, then editor from 1971 to 1977, and remained a contributing editor until 1981. In December 1973 he traveled to
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
and the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
and wrote a series of articles reporting on the historic U.S. research into the continent's geologic and climatic history and the environmental impact of such research.
In 1976 Frazier reported on the organizing conference at which the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, CSICOP, was founded. In a discussion with
James Randi
James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Rodrigues 2010 ...
at
CSICon 2016 regarding the founding of CSICOP, Frazier said that
Isaac Asimov
yi, יצחק אזימאװ
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
, spouse =
, relatives =
, children = 2
, death_date =
, death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
, nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
being associated with the organization "gave it immense status and authority" in his eyes.
The committee published a journal called ''The Zetetic'' featuring articles examining the claims of occultism and pseudoscientific theories. In August 1977 Frazier became the editor of the journal, and with the first issue of 1978 its name was changed to the ''
Skeptical Inquirer''.
Frazier wrote articles in every issue for thirty-five years and participated in every national and international conference of the organization since 1977. Examples of his recent editor's columns and reports that feature popular science topics include "The Winter of Our Discontent" (about attacks on
climate science),
"Why the
Bem Experiments Are Not Parapsychology's Next Big Thing",
"Getting People Emotionally Invested", and "The
Roswell Syndrome....and Pseudoskepticism".
His comprehensiv
history of CSICOPwas published in ''The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal''.
From 1983 to 2006, he concurrently worked as a full-time staff member at
Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he wrote about its research projects and for the last 11 years edited its award-winning newspaper, the Sandia Lab News.
He retired as a Principal Member of Laboratory Staff.
One of Frazier's later books, ''Science Under Siege: Defending Science, Exposing Pseudoscience'', was featured by Science News for its "engaging, insightful, and often surprising essays by researchers and journalists" about "what science is and is not, and what happens when the facts get twisted."
Three prominent scientists gave testimonials about the book. Astrophysicist and author
Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote "Science Under Siege is a welcome antidote to the profound science illiteracy that, today, permeates American pop culture and the press."
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
cognitive scientist and author
Steven Pinker called the book "An entertaining and eye-opening collection of essays that advance the battle against ignorance and superstition."
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...
astronomer
Jay M. Pasachoff said "Ken Frazier's collection brings a well-chosen selection of logical and well-reasoned pieces before a general audience that would enjoy and benefit from their analyses and exposés."
Awards and honors
In 1985 the University of Colorado presented him with the
George Norlin
George Norlin (April 1, 1871 – March 31, 1942) was president of the University of Colorado. During his tenure as president, Norlin oversaw the redesign of the campus in Boulder, Colorado.
Biography
Norlin was born in Concordia, in Cloud County ...
Award for outstanding achievement by an alumnus.
The
American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism.
The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constituti ...
awarded Frazier the Humanist Pioneer Award in 1995 for his "effective worldwide advancement of rational skepticism".
Frazier received the In Praise of Reason Award, the highest honor from the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal in 2001.
The award is given in recognition of distinguished contributions in the use of critical inquiry, scientific evidence, and reason in evaluating claims to knowledge. Other recipients of this award include
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ex ...
,
Murray Gell-Mann,
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould (; September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation. Goul ...
,
Martin Gardner,
Ray Hyman and Nobel laureate physicist
Leon Lederman
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...
.
Frazier was elected a Fellow of the AAAS in 2005 for his "distinguished contributions to the public understanding of science through writing for and editing popular science magazines that emphasize science news and scientific reasoning and methods."
Books
* ''The Violent Face of Nature: Severe Phenomena and Natural Disasters'', by Kendrick Frazier,
William Morrow, New York, 1979,
* ''Paranormal Borderlands of Science'', edited by Kendrick Frazier, Prometheus Books, 1981, .
* ''Our Turbulent Sun'', by Kendrick Frazier.
Prentice Hall, 1982,
* ''Solar System''. By Kendrick Frazier and the Editors of Time-Life Books. Planet Earth Series.
Time-Life Books
Time Life, with sister subsidiaries StarVista Live and Lifestyle Products Group, a holding of Direct Holdings Global LLC, is an American production company and direct marketer conglomerate, that is known for selling books, music, video/DVD, ...
, 1985,
* ''Science Confronts the Paranormal'' edited by Kendrick Frazier, Prometheus Books, 1986, .
* ''The Hundredth Monkey: And Other Paradigms of the Paranormal'', edited by Kendrick Frazier, 1991, Prometheus Books, .
* ''The UFO Invasion: The Roswell Incident, Alien Abductions, and Government Coverups'', edited by Kendrick Frazier,
Barry Karr
Barry Karr is an American skeptic and paranormal researcher, currently the executive director of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has been consulted by the media on the paranormal. Karr has been involved in many investigations including fa ...
, and
Joe Nickell, Prometheus Books, 1997, .
* ''Encounters With the Paranormal: Science, Knowledge, and Belief'', edited by Kendrick Frazier, 1998, Prometheus Books, .
* ''People of Chaco: A Canyon and Its Culture'', by Kendrick Frazier. Updated and Revised Edition, 2005,
W.W. Norton
W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton An ...
, New York.
* ''Science Under Siege: Defending Science, Exposing Pseudoscience'', by Kendrick Frazier, 2009, Prometheus Books,
Notes
External links
*
''Skeptical Inquirer'' articles by Kendrick Frazier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frazier, Kendrick
1942 births
2022 deaths
American skeptics
Critics of parapsychology
American science writers
University of Colorado alumni
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni
Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American magazine editors
Sandia National Laboratories people
Writers about religion and science
People from Windsor, Colorado
Writers from Colorado