HENRY GORDON DAMON
(1883- 1960)
Henry Gordon Damons’s early education was in the Corsicana Public Schools and
Baylor University Preparatory School, but on account of poor health he was
rarely able to complete a school term. He entered Baylor University in 1901 but
was not able to finish the term because of ill health. His doctor ordered a
change in climate and in 1902 Damon transferred to Vanderbilt University, where
he graduated with a BS degree in 1906.
After graduation from Vanderbilt, Damon taught school for one year at
Nacogdoches and then studied law at UT in 1907-1908. He received a license to
practice law in 1908 and for the next nine years he practiced law in Corsicana.
However his doctor felt that he should seek some work that would be less
confining. Damon decided to try teaching again and in 1917-1918 he taught
physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics at La Grange High School; in
1918-1919, he taught similar courses in Austin High School, and in 1919-1920, he
taught physics, chemistry and general science at the San Antonio Military
Academy. For the next four years (1920-1923) Damon was with the State Department
of Education as Supervisor of Science. This position required him to visit the
high schools of the state to determine whether the work in science was
acceptable for accreditation. His health did not improve and his doctor advised
him to seek work which would take him outdoors. It was at this point that Damon
decided to take up geology. He had some acquaintance with the subject, because
as early as the summer of 1919 Damon was a member of a field course in geology
given by UT in the Llano region. He entered the graduate school at UT in the
fall of 1923 and received the MA degree in geology in 1924. Prior to 1924, only
5 Master’s degrees in geology had been granted by UT. Damon’s first teaching in
the Department of Geology at UT was in 1924-1925, when he taught laboratory
sections of General Geology as a Tutor.
In 1925 Damon was appointed to an Instructorship and served for 35 years until
his death, advancing to Assistant Professor in 1931 and to an Associate
Professorship in 1943. Professor Damon’s chief contribution to the Department
during the early years of his tenure was in the organization of the laboratory
work in general geology. Firmly convinced that the laboratory work was a very
important part of a course in General Geology, he organized the material,
planned filed trips, prepared a manual which was used for many years, and
trained the instructors who were assigned to teach the various laboratory
sections.
Professor Damon’s chief interest in geology was in sedimentation and he decided
to complete his doctorate in this field. He pursued his Ph.D. degree from the
University of Iowa and completed it in 1940.
The discovery of the East Texas oil field in the early ‘30’s and other
stratigraphic-trap type fields increased interest in sedimentation and there was
a demand for specialized courses in this field. Dr. Damon organized and taught
the first course in sedimentation to be given at The University of Texas in
1939-1940. Other courses were added and by 1946 Dr. Damon was teaching two
senior and one graduate course in sedimentation which he continued to do alone
through 1951. Finally the load became too heavy for one man and Dr. Robert Folk
was added to the staff and together they handled the teaching and graduate
research in sedimentation until Dr. Damon’s retirement.
Dr. Damon was primarily a teacher, although he was interested in research and
always had several projects under way. However, his main contribution to
research was through his students in the aid and direction of their research
projects. Exceptions to this were the several summers he spent working on the
tripoli and glass sand deposit of North Central Texas for the Bureau of Economic
Geology. He supervised five master’s students.
Damon kept up with the scientific literature by faithfully abstracting and
cross-indexing most articles in his field until his last few months. He insisted
that his students be equally well prepared and his favorite course was chiefly
concerned with seeing that the students kept up with recent research by
reviewing scientific articles for class discussion. His main interests in
sedimentation were environments of deposition, processes of sedimentation, and
heavy mineral studies.
Dr. Damon retired from active teaching in 1957 but he enjoyed good health and
was in his office nearly every day until he suffered a heart attack in early
January, which claimed his life on February 3, 1960.
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