Philip Scott Babcock

Philip Babcock passed over into heaven peacefully on November 7, 2012, in his Goleta home. He was born August 25, 1959, in Los Angeles, to Lyle and Helen Babcock. He grew up in Manhattan Beach and Bakersfield, graduating as a National Merit Scholar from Highland High School in 1977. He enjoyed forensics, music, and drama in high school, distinguishing himself in community theater while still in high school. Philip went to Princeton University, started in math/physics, and then graduated summa cum laude in 1981 in philosophy. He was involved in theater at Princeton, as well as Alpha Omega, a Christian evangelical group. He considered going into the ministry at this point, but instead returned to Bakersfield and took a job in the oil industry. He later founded his own software engineering company and a partnership company, Dyno-Tech, providing service to oil fields. His work in the oil industry gave him the opportunity to travel back and forth to Indonesia. He moved to Los Angeles and pursued both acting and writing, working as a freelance writer of film and episodic television. While performing as Emcee at his 10-year high school reunion, he re-connected with a classmate and they began dating. They married in 1992, and spent their early married years in West Los Angeles, as well as Indonesia. In 2000, Philip and Kathy moved to San Diego so that Philip could begin a PhD in Economics at UC San Diego. He completed his degree in 2005, worked for a year at UC Riverside, and then moved to Santa Barbara to work at UCSB. He was still working as a professor at UCSB at the time of his death. He enjoyed his terrific colleagues at UCSB, his research, and his students. He was considered a tough but dedicated and engaging teacher. Professor Babcock inspired and touched his colleagues and students with his courage in the face of illness. Even when most of his voice disappeared following surgery and radiation, he continued to teach with microphones. The campus flag at UCSB was lowered to half-staff on November 15th in his honor. He also produced newsworthy research which prompted trips to New York and Paris, as well as radio and newspaper articles around the country. His recent scholarly publications have been cited and debated in the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, and many other media outlets. He was quoted by the Wall Street Journal only a few days before his passing. Philip and Kathy were blessed with a daughter, Breanna. Philip enjoyed parenting, and Breanna was a very bright spot in his life. Philip was also a very good uncle to his nieces and nephews, and enjoyed discussing challenging concepts with young people. He is survived by his wife, Kathy; daughter, Breanna; sister, Susan (Michael) Gearin; in-laws Richard and Dori Nakagawa, brother-in-law Ronald (Cindy) Nakagawa; niece and nephews, Ali, Connor, and Sean Gearin; nieces Kristi, Adrianne, Tori, and Elizabeth Nakagawa and their mother Sharon Nakagawa. Philip also loved to walk to the bluffs overlooking the ocean, and even was able to walk there in the final stages of cancer. Philip proved that it is still possible to be a Renaissance man in this age of specialization. He accomplished much in his short life, and fostered many relationships. He will be remembered and missed. A memorial service will be held at Goleta Valley Church, 595 N. Fairview Ave., in Goleta, on Saturday, December 1st, at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Coastline Christian Academy. To leave on line condolences or memories visit www.wrhsb.com

Philip Scott Babcock

August 25, 1959 - November 7, 2012