Jim Calzia, Geologist Emeritus, USGS, has asked me to pass on this announcement about a memorial service for Lauren Wright, long time explorer of Death Valley geology, who passed away in February:
MEMORIAL
SERVICE
Lauren
Albert Wright
March
23, 2013; Shoshone, CA
 |
| Picture by Marli Miller |
Lauren A. Wright, 94, of State College, PA, passed away
Feb 6, 2013. Professor Wright received his BS and MS in Geology from the
University of Southern California, and a PhD from Cal Tech in 1952. He was
first employed by the California Division of Mines (now CA Geological Survey)
from 1947 to 1961, then accepted the position of Chairman, Dept of Geology and
Geophysics, at Penn State University; he retired from Penn State in 1985 after
teaching geology for 24 years. In his lifetime, Prof Wright became an
internationally-recognized expert on the geology of Death Valley, CA. He is
survived by his son Anthony.
You
are cordially invited to a Memorial Service for Lauren Wright on March 23,
2013, in Shoshone, CA. The Service will be preceded by a short field trip to
see a few of the geologic problems Prof Wright studied during his lifetime. The
field trip is scheduled from 10-2PM; the Memorial Service begins at 3PM and is
followed by a reception. In addition, Cynthia Keinitz will host an informal
campfire service at China Ranch from 8PM. Please RSVP to Susan Sorrells at villagecentral "at" shoshonevillage.com or (760) 852-4224 for recommendations regarding lodging.
2 comments:
I and a number of classmates had the pleasure and privilege of bumping into Wright and Troxel on a field trip one spring break, and ended up following them around for a good part of the day.
Their language and treatment of each other was, shall we say, colorful. Full story in the closing paragraphs of this post, starting with "I guess in closing...": http://outsidetheinterzone.blogspot.com/2008/10/tips-for-science-grad-students.html
But they stopped by our camp at Mesquite Flats that evening, and taught us (me, at least) one of the most important lessons in geology, and science generally, I ever learned: we *want* the people with whom we disagree respectfully to criticize us without restraint.
That lesson has stuck vividly with me for decades, and I'm grateful to him for that. RIP.
My masters thesis in Death Valley was a slog. I had an 'advisor' who didn't have a nurturing bone in his body and the only real contribution was that he sent me to the desert for long stints of time. That's where I met Lauren and Bennie. After spending several days working in the Black Mountains without a soul to talk to, I would retreat back to Lauren's trailer, warmed by a single stove burner, and listen to soothing sounds of NPR on the radio while enjoying a Schwans dinner. I would recount everything I saw and Lauren would join right in, adding amazing detail to an outcrop he probably hadn't visited in 20 years. He had a brilliant mind, a kind heart, and enough capacity for me and every other geologist that came through Shoshone. What a legend.
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