Leonid A. Buryakovsky
1930-2019
Leonid Alexandrovich Buryakovsky, 89, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, November 24, 2019 in Houston, Texas. He was born October 12, 1930 to Rebecca Pachepskaya and Alexander Gregorevich Buryakovsky in Dnipropetrovsk Ukraine.
In 1939 World War II erupted and Leonid's father went to serve in the Red Army to fight the Nazis. At the age of eleven, Leonid and his family were forced to evacuate their home and resettled in Uzbekistan. Following the war, the Buryakovsky family came back to their home in the Ukraine. Following graduation in 1953 from Mining Inst USSR, he moved to Armenia where he worked as a geologist. Leonid worked as a geologist and offshore engineer in the Caspian Sea while continuing his studies in geology and geophysics. In 1960 he earned a Master's Degree in geophysics, and in 1965 Leonid was invited to become a member of the Academy of Sciences. In 1969 Leonid earned a PhD in geophysics and quickly became a world-renowned expert in his field. He authored dozens of highly acclaimed geological books, journals and research publications.
Following Leonid immigration to the United States in 1991, Leonid continued his geological work as an academic, until his reluctant retirement at the age of 78. He was an avid reader and collector of books.
He is survived by his wife Rena; a son and a daughter, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren,
Summarized from the Life Tributes section of the Houston Chronicle Published on Dec. 1, 2019