Stanley Dermott

Stanley Frederick Dermott, loving husband, father, grandfather, mentor and friend, died May 20th in hospice care. Stanley was born August 14, 1942, in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England, to William and Eliza Dermott.

One of seven children, his parents encouraged independence and self-reliance, and at age 15 he cycled to Devon with a friend covering 165 miles in one day — one of many epic and sometimes hair-raising journeys. Stanley excelled in school and was the first in his family to attend university. He studied physics at University College London, where he met his wife, Margaret, at a university dance. Stanley and Margaret were married on December 18, 1965, and had two children, Patrick and Brigit.

Stanley earned his doctorate from the University of London in astronomy in 1975 and began his academic career at the University of Newcastle. In 1977, he took a position at Cornell University and moved with his family to the United States. At Cornell, Stanley was a distinguished researcher, with two of his papers — one co-authored with Carl Sagan — featured on the cover of Nature. He joined the astronomy faculty at the University of Florida in 1989, and served as chair of the department from 1993 to 2009. What Stanley called “doing his sums,” his work on solar dynamics and asteroids is foundational to the field, and his graduate textbook Solar Dynamics, co-authored with Dr. Carl Murray, is the foremost work on the dynamical features of the solar system. He mentored many graduate students and was very proud of their accomplished careers. The main-belt asteroid 3647 Dermott was formally named after him on January 11, 1986, and he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from University College London in 2002. He is credited, much to his surprise, with the identification of Dermott's law, an empirical formula for the orbital period of major satellites in the Solar System.

Stanley traveled the world and approached life with curiosity, purpose and optimism. He loved living in Florida, and continued to conduct research in his retirement. He heard his most recent paper read at the American Astronomical Society conference in Atlanta on May 19, the day before his death. In addition to his love of science, he was deeply knowledgeable about English history, enjoyed seeing opera, appreciated good food and wine, and spending time with his family.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret; son, Patrick; daughter, Brigit; son-in-law, Tom Morrissey; his granddaughters, Betty and Piper; his sister, Doreen; and many nieces and nephews. Stan was a singular man, independent, tenacious, with a generous and open spirit. He was a loving husband and a wonderful father and grandfather.

A Celebration of Life Service is scheduled for Saturday June 14th, 2025, at the Baughman Center at 11 am.