Alumni Notes

December 7, 2018

1940s

Jule Jacobson Moon (B.A. ‘40, M.A. ‘41) retired in 1992 to Fairhope, AL. She published Sherds a Memoire. She also co-authored 3 Fairhope writers, 2 books of short stories, and Fairhope Original Guidebook. She will be 99 years old on 6/13/2019.

1950s

Walter V. Boyle (B.S. ‘54, M.A. ‘55) writes, “Our travels for 2018 have been confined to the Lower Continental United States. I stay active attending Houston Geological Society meetings, men’s church group sessions, men’s book club meetings, and working in the yard. Vada continues to stay active in the Houston Symphony League, The American Association of University Women, and two women’s book clubs. Congratulations to Dean Sharon Mosher and the staff of the Jackson School of Geosciences for being Ranked No. 1 in Geology, No. 6 in Geophysics & Seismology, and No. 7 in Earth Sciences overall in 2018 by the U.S. News & Reports Graduate Ranking.”

Jimmie Russell (B.S. ‘52, M.A. ‘54) “Nostalgia a longing for, or to go back to, something. Although going back is not possible, fond memories are, and those I have. Some are of UT, other are not. Professor Robert Folk, to gain some local knowledge of Texas geology, joined Professor Sam Ellison and myself to review the area I worked on in Erath County for a M.A. under Dr. Ellison. The trip went well, the investigation was successful, and we enjoyed each other’s company. A few months later, Dr. Folk shared a pleasant evening at the annual Sigma Gamma Epsilon banquet. As president, I invited Dr. Folk to be the guest speaker. He graciously accepted and delivered an informative discussion on sandstone porosity. Although I saw him infrequently, we were pleased to meet at the Night of Remembrance shortly prior to his passing. Professor Folk was the last of the initial group of professors that educated me at the University of Texas. When you share a “pup-tent” for a week or so a few times, during a Korean winter, you remember it. John Oehlertz and I did this near the DMZ/38th Parallel, a couple of years after the armistice. Our other lodgings were Spartan, also. We were in the same platoon in the 31st Infantry Regiment, of the 7th Infantry Division, U.S. Army. John Oehlertz grew up working with his father on the family farm in Western Iowa, near Avoca. He continued with the farm, as well as many civic activities and singing in his church’s choir until the end. He and his wife Betty visited us but we did not get to Iowa. John was a true husband to Betty and cherished their family. He was a gentleman in all aspects. I was fortunate to have had him as a friend. John Oehlertz was my “buddy.” He recently passed away abruptly.” Jimmie can be contacted at ritalrussell@gmail.com.

Floyd F. Sabins (B.S. ‘52) shares, “My major news is to announce completion of the manuscript for the 4th edition of my book “Remote Sensing – Principles, Interpretation and Application” that will be published by Westland Press of Chicago. Jim Ellis is co-author. Since the 3rd edition was published, there have been major advances in both the acquisition and digital processing of remote sensing images that are particularly significant for us earth scientists. For example, there is now a world-wide topographic data base derived from NASA satellite radar images. Hyperspectral images in the visible, near IR, and thermal IR spectral regions are now routinely acquired by global-orbiting satellites. The data can be digitally processed and visually interpreted for a wide range of applications. Sensor systems are now being miniaturized for deployment on drones. Drone operators can now acquire images at a time, locality, and spectral range of their own choice. In order to cover all these advances, over 50 percent of the illustrations and text in the 4th Edition are new. The new Edition does retain the clear explanations and illustrations of basic interactions between matter and electromagnetic energy that contributed to the technical and commercial success of the three earlier Editions.”

Dan L. Smith (B.S. ‘50) writes, “I continue as an explorationist generating and investing in oil and gas prospects. My life time interest in working with professional societies continues with trips lately to AAPG and SIPES. As an active member of the Jackson School Advisory Council, I keep in touch with everything in Austin.”

Theodore Stanzel (B.S. ‘56) shares, “All good news during the past year. Growing older and wiser. Wanda and I spent twelve informative and rewarding days visiting the holy places in Jerusalem and other parts in Israel. We are watching the progress of Wanda’s two great-grandbabies, a boy and a girl born in February 2018. We wish our classmates health and happiness.”

Bill D. Watson (B.S. ‘58) writes, “Still enjoying my retirement. Would never have dreamed that it would have lasted longer than my working career! The family continues to grow with the addition of a fourth great-grandchild. Jean and I play golf, sing in our church choir and senior adult choir. Trying to stay busy as long as I can at 88 1/2 years old. Miss going to the Longhorn games and playing in the Alumni Band, but The Longhorn Channel is a must in our household. Go Horns!” Bill can be contacted at bdjewatson1930@gmail.com

Leslie P. White (B.S. ‘56) says, “Dianne and I are so proud of the Jackson School. We are happy to see that US News and World Report has discovered something that we have known for a long time.”

Don Winston (M.A. ‘57, Ph.D. ‘63) says, “This is a hello, particularly to those were at UT in the middle and late 50’s. I am writing this from Quebec at the IAS Congress where I am giving a paper on sheetfloods in the Middle Proterozoic Belt Supergroup in Montana. About 50 years ago, I got sucked into Belt rocks and switched my focus from bugs and carbonates to field stratigraphy and sedimentology in the high country of Montana. It has been challenging and fun. Harry West, who some of you may remember, and I were both at the IGC in Copenhagen in 1960. Harry stayed in a rooming house with lots of neat Danish girls, with whom we partied. One of those is Bente, my wife of 50 years. We have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Both work in D.C. and live in Arlington, Va. Bente started a K-8 school in Missoula and taught math. She still teaches the mathcounts team that generally comes in within the top 4 schools in the state competition. I still have a couple of stratigraphic and sedimentologic field projects that I plan to work on in late August and September. After that, I plan to hunt ducks and geese at our hunting cabin on the Missouri River below Great Falls. So, life is good.”

1960s

Robert H. Fakundiny (M.A. ‘67) writes, “Anne and I are still living in the Capital District of New York. I continue to consult on a part-time basis to State and Federal agencies on the long-term disposal of radioactive waste in western New York. I’m also finishing a large report on a landslide project South of Syracuse, and compiling geologic maps of the Adirondack Mountains. Giant thrust sheets appear to dominate the structural picture of the modern and central parts of the Adirondack Mountains.”

Jereld E. McQueen (B.S. ‘61, M.A. ‘63) writes, “I am still pursuing investment opportunities and will always being astounded by the great work of JSG.”

Joe Norman Meadows (B.A. ‘62) writes, “My bride of 50 years died of Alzheimer’s so now I’m adjusting to being a widower. Enjoy the Newsletter and the amazing things going on. No longer practice Oil and Gas law, but try to keep up with what’s happening in the industry. The young men and women are doing so many exciting things. God bless them.”

Tom S. Patty (M.A. ‘68) writes, “Field studies for sand and gravel as well as crushed stone were reduced during 2017 due to me spending extensive care for wife JoAnn. She had reoccurring health issues that required increased care giving. She passed in late December 2017. We had been together for 61 years and married 58 years. She worked putting me through graduate school. So far 2018 has allowed me to mentor the younger employees at Wiss Janney Elstner Associates in our fast growing Austin office and especially working with the new geologist in the Tom S. Patty Petrographic Laboratory. Since opening the Austin branch in 1981 the office and lab have grown to almost 50 engineers, architects and materials scientists. Although I retired 5 years ago, I remain on staff as an Affiliated Consultant and show up at the lab a few hours a week.” Tom can be reached at tspgeorock@gmail.com.

Peter D. Rowley (Ph.D. ‘68) says, “Still in the consulting business but for fun and free mapping the Markagunt and Sevier gravity slides of SW Utah, the world’s biggest and 3rd biggest landslides on land. The Geological Society of America sponsored their Thompson Field Forum in September 2017 – 6 days of field conference for about 30 specialists here.”

Rubin Amos Schultz, Jr. (B.S. ‘61) shares, “Still enjoying retirement and travels. Spent some time in Branson, MO in May. Family is growing. Last August, a great grand daughter was added and then September saw a great grand son added. Not a lot else new. Still enjoy visiting UT and active in UT exes.”

Richard B. Waitt (B.S. ‘66, M.A. ‘70) writes, “Though well past conventional retirement age, I remain a Research Geologist at USGS’s Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash. Continue writing various science-journal papers and book chapters — mostly on physical volcanology as at Mount St. Helens, and on the Pleistocene Missoula floods. On the great floods, I co-led a fieldtrip for GSA in fall 2017 and will co-lead a Friends of the Pleistocene one in Sept 2018. (Rhythmic bedding in the photo proves the giant floods had repeated by the score.) Editing a GSA Special Paper on Quaternary geology. My 2015 book on Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption told through survivors and other eyewitnesses (Wash. State Univ. Press) continues in print. Will do another driving tour round the continent this fall (2018) with my wife Cynthia. If any of my former 1960s’ UT geology gang should come to the Pacific Northwest, please give a ring.”

William Feathergail Wilson (B.S. ‘60, M.A ‘62) shares, “Still working as a petroleum
and groundwater geologist in Texas. Still living and working on a small ranch near Tarpley, TX on Williams Creek. Primarily working West Texas and the Gulf Coast. Geology still remains my only passion and hobby at the age of 83. Finished my third Texas and Mexico historical novel – awaiting publication.”

William C. Young (B.A. ‘61) shares, “I am still marking off parts of my bucket list. Next up, a trip down the Danube. Thankfully, no change in my eyesight and my family is well.” William can be reached at wcy3@outlook.com.

1970s

Sara Sue Avant (B.S. ‘78) lives in The Woodlands and can be reached at savant@utexas.edu.

Janie Bell (B.S. ‘78) writes, “Finally moved to a place with outcrops and real topography. Living in Nashville and enjoying middle Tennessee. Come see me!”

Gale A. Bishop (Ph.D. ‘71) writes, “Still writing some about fossil decapods and sea turtles and living in beautiful NE Iowa. My colleagues at Georgia Southern and St. Catherines Island fired me from my Sea Turtle Program after 26 years! Then their depredation from feral hogs shot upward to a new record, 68.1%! So I’m finishing a few papers to get some of the rest of my knowledge out before the end. Now in remission for CLL and feeling fine. Cataracts are being removed this summer, then I’ll start renewing the search for fossilized nests of the giant sea turtle, Archelon! Visited Iceland last winter and will visit Ireland and Scotland in August.”

C. Elmo Brown (B.A. ‘76) shares, “The big news this year is that I just retired (more or less) this last March from The Discovery Group in Denver, CO where I served as a Senior Geological Advisor. Since then, I have continued to do a bit of work for the company, but mainly Kathy and I have been traveling to different spots in TX and CO to scope out potential retirement locations. In addition, we also did a bit of sightseeing around the world as we traveled to Paris and then on to Kenya for a photo safari. It was our first trip to both and they were great in their own way; however, I still prefer the wilds of the world compared to the big cities. Now it is on to our next big adventure, wherever it may be.”

Roger Callaway (B.S. ‘77) writes, “I actually started at Texas in 1970 in Engineering, but there were… distractions. I finally decided to drop out after the fall semester of 1972 and bumbled around for a year, testing the resources of my guardian angel, and eventually coming back to Austin from Salt Lake City and falling into employment with a sheetrock crew. The approximate 9 months with the sheetrock crew in Austin and onward to Wichita, KS, provided more education. I decided I might give college another try, so I came back to school in the spring of 1975 on my own dime. Things had changed. Other than me, there was not a longhaired hippie in sight, and the Engineering students had traded their slide rules hanging on their belts for calculators. Even with the best intentions I started to flounder badly. I happened onto a How to Study in College course and choose geology as a major. Who knew going to school was a skill that could be acquired? It was the first time I had actually done well in school. The trip back to school, though successful, featured several more chapters of the saga: “The Perils of Strong Drink.” The attraction of geology, and the influence of several excellent professors, somehow pulled me through. After finishing 660 in the summer of 1977, I returned to CO and took up my previous career of construction worker. Somewhere in late 70’s, after putting up sheetrock outside in 10 degree weather, I once again thought, “There has got to be a better way.” I had sort of kept track of Dr. John Lufkin and inquired if he knew of any employment opportunities. Darned if he didn’t offer me a job with a crew riding dirt bikes into the desert collecting sediment samples from intermittent stream drainages! A better way for sure. That job eventually took me around most of the western states, supervising drill rigs, mapping, sampling and learning some geology, and having some role with two ore bodies that went into production. 1985 found me recently married and out on the street, as the gold business tanked. A pal told me to come to Midland. Got a job on a well site, meet some people, and moved into the oil business. Not long after, I was working out of Carlsbad, NM, 16 hours on and 16 hours off, as a mudlogger. After about 6 months, the downturn of 1985 commenced. I found I was about to become a dad, and I had a pal in Austin prospering in the construction business, so I decided to go back to construction. Things looked good – tower cranes all over town and 6 months work booked, until it just stopped. Who knew a state capital with a big University could be affected by a downturn in the oil business? You could not buy a job of any kind. Then, out of the blue, an old pal from Houston Oil offered me a job in South Carolina, working on a gold mine! Heck Yeah! The gold mine was in the late discovery stage, and we took it up to and into production. In 1989, I identified a hole in the reserves, and I was invited to seek work elsewhere! Seeking stability in 1990, I got into preconstruction and geotech investigations with the highway department. I had stability, but was starving, and departed for the private side. I was hired to work on a drilling project evaluating high purity limestone or dolomite projects, in Pennsylvania and Ohio. We had managed to establish proven reserves of a high purity dolomite deposit in Tiffin, Ohio, that made the economics and reserves of most goldmines look silly. That one I think is still operating. After that, the lure of a steady paycheck kept me at the DOT until the beginning of 2016, when under the squeeze of privatization, I left. I thought, “I guess I’m retired!” Our three kids are mostly grown, all prospering in various ways, still talk to me, and, my “First Wife” and I are still married, so winning! I found out late that eating wheat turns me into “Snappy Dad,” instead of “Happy Dad.” Something about serotonin and depression. I knew something had been making it hard to stay employed. Of my old geology school pals, I have tracked down Mary Moran, Dr. Lufkin, and Bruce Kuyper. It’s been at least 15 years since I touched base with James Willrodt, who prospered in oil. I stay in touch with some of the distractables of the first go-around when I left school with a Masters in hippie. Though geology has mostly been good to me, the economics of metals seems grim. Gold mines often wind up as superfund sites. The run of oil will never occur again. Get on Google maps and look at Oil Center, NM. All those spots are wells. There might be a Permian Basin play in China or one of the ‘Stans, but 30, 40 years and it will be gone. Still, I can go hiking near Asheville and see garnets 3/4 of an inch across and go to the bank and admire the Rapikivi texture in veneer on the floor and walls. Geology is endlessly interesting, and I highly recommend it; it is after all, where you live. So, thanks UT Austin. I never had anything to apologize for in regards to my geology education. That piece of paper from UT had a lot to do with me making it through, at times, by the skin of my teeth. It certainly was entertaining.“

JB Chimene (B.S. ‘79) can be reached at jbchimene@gmail.com.

Frank Cornish (M.A. ’75) writes, “I’ve been riding out this financial storm at Suemaur, but now that is over. Suemaur has cut its staff and operations. I have several prospects from SV Energy and one from Suemaur that are being handled now by Hurd. Hurd completed two of my conventional
wells this year. Hopefully, we will move the prospects forward as I try to get to a better work balance between full goofing off (retirement) and geostuff. I am currently President of the Corpus
Christi Geological Society, as its membership is in rapid decline because of aging and retiring members and lack of jobs for young professionals. I am working on publishing my past poster session at GCAGS, as a paper and also two future posters regarding the Wilcox canyons I have been mapping. I’ve found some interest among other Gulf Coast geologists on the subject. I
am still involved in the Jackson School FAN program. The SIPES convention, this year in Santa Fe, is always a great destination location, and great talks and field trips. I still like to see the rocks. I’ve also been trying to make the AGS field trips. I am so glad I got to spend some time talking with Bob Folk at the UT Night of Giving. His passing is such a loss to our whole community. I’ve been enjoying the down time, working on photography, and the local art scene – find me at FrankGCornishPhotography on Smugmug, Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram. I have my works up in several local venues and working to expand into other communities in the area. It is humbling to work among and with local artists young and old withso much talent. We have moved into ground level accommodations to avoid the hurricane debacle of multiple step climbing in a towering condo when the power is out. I miss the views and the community there. I lean more now to Florida and Georgia, where my one granddaughter is and the promise of more grandchildren resides. I’m also hopeful to see old and lost faces at our UT reunion at George Stanton’s in Austin this November.”

Abelardo Garza-Hernandez (B.S. ‘75) shares, “I continue living and working in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, running my own Mining consulting bussiness, and I can be reached atabgarza@grupogamo.com.”

Borden Jenkins (B.S. ‘78) writes, “I finally got to walk through the Geology building after 30 years – the new Jackson Geological Sciences Building. The rock & fossil collection was great. Makes me wish I was 20 again. Going through a tough 3 years and slump in the oil business. This is my 4th Boom to Bust Cycle, I think.”

Charles Edward McKemie, Jr. (B.S. ‘79) can be reached at charlesmckemie@icloud.com.

John W. Preston (B.S. ‘70) shares, “Retired but still riding with the Hurd herd. Have a bunch of Lobo prospects down in Webb Co. that I would like to see get drilled. First 3 almost sold so hopefully this will be the year. I think retirement is just another word that lets everyone know you have time to do all sorts of things nobody else wants to do.” John can be reached at johnwmp@gmail.com.

Steven L. White (B.S. ‘78) lives in Tyler, TX and can be contacted at swhitegeo@gmail.com.

Bill Olsen (B.S. ‘78) writes, “I never worked in geology, but during my US Navy career, I created program successes and new technology breakthroughs in environmental protection and maintenance efficiency, from ships to shipyards to space shuttles, saving $Billions$ and milestones. Since ‘99, I’ve been a group-process Facilitator, Trainer and Keynote Speaker who guides program successes in government, industry and non-profits around the globe.”

James C. Willrodt (B.S. ‘77) writes, “Still residing in the Energy Corridor of Houston, Texas and just missed flooding by 1 whole inch from the Barker Dam release last August due to Harvey’s drenching. We were blessed! I retired from Deep-water drilling in 2016 after 35 years with ExxonMobil and 4 years of consulting in West Africa. Both Karen and I are doing well. Our kids, Erika and Alec have also graduated from UT and are doing well too. Erika is in NYC and Alec is in Austin. I have been settling in from the pace of drilling life to retirement by splitting time between Houston and our place on the Texas coast. The past few falls, we have made trips to the Ozarks with a Porsche group to enjoy the great roads there. This past January we made a nice trip to Hawaii visiting Oahu, Maui and Kauai and a Flying Longhorns Cuba trip a while back. Hello to all the old classmates. jcwillr@sbcglobal.net.”

1980s

Bill Anderson (Ph.D. ‘85) shares, “I retired from ExxonMobil after 34 years and we bought a place up in Breckenridge CO, where we spend summers and winters. Look us up sometime.” Jim and Deb can be contacted at debraanderson@sbcglobal.net.

Walter B. Ayers (Ph.D. ‘84) retired from Texas A&M University Department of Petroleum Engineering in January 2017 and is enjoying retirement in Virginia Beach, VA.

Carol Swenumson Baker (B.S. ‘84) writes, “I’m still enjoying working at ExxonMobil. Rod and I don’t get to Austin enough.”

Patricia Bobeck (M.A. ‘85, Ph.D. ‘17) shares, “I finished a PhD in hydrogeology at UT in May
2017. The dissertation title is “Jean- Baptiste Paramelle: Method, Results, and Contribution to Hydrogeology.” Paramelle was pioneering self-taught hydrogeologist/country priest who
in 1827 figured out how to find groundwater on a dry karst plateau in southwestern France. Thus began a career that spanned 1832 to 1854 during which he found groundwater at 10,000 places in 40 of 89 France’s departments. He did not use a dowsing rod, and he did not have geologic maps. He developed an observational method based on lithology, stratigraphy, and geomorphology. After he retired, he wrote a best-selling book called “The Art of Finding Springs” to share his observational method and experiences with the public. Henry Darcy reviewed Paramelle’s book in his own 1856 publication, “The Public Fountains of the City of Dijon,” and praised Paramelle’s work. In fact, Paramelle was more famous than Darcy in the 19th century. Over the summers of 2014 and 2015, research on Paramelle took me to the 40 French departments where Paramelle worked. I was able to find archives that support Paramelle’s claims and havedocumented two water distribution systems built as a result of his discoveries. As part of the dissertation, I translated “The Art of Finding Springs” and the Geological Society of America is in the process of publishing it. This summer I am again in France, presenting the Paramelle story at professional meetings, improving my French, and
conducting research. The Comité Français de l’Histoire de la Géologie invited me to speak at their June 2018 quarterly meeting. I also presented at EuroKarst2018 in Besançon France on
July 3. Both presentations provoked lively questions and comments about this forgotten pioneer of hydrogeology. I continue to translate geologic literature from French to English. My most recent project is the 2nd edition of Aurèle Parriaux’ “Geology Basics for Engineers” published by CRC Press. These projects have benefited from generous funding and the professional community of the Jackson School. I am immensely grateful to the Jackson School for what it has helped me accomplish.”

Bruce Calder (B.S. ‘81) writes, “Everyone, please check out the Falcon Cam that I got UT to install on the Tower: biodiversity.utexas.edu/ resources/falcon-cam.”

Richard Frank Carroll (B.S. ‘80) writes, “I am still gainfully employed by Caza Petroleum and still working the Delaware Basin. Good job and good people. Both of my sons are doing well, and I am very proud of both of them. And I have a new dog named Bob, and I’m pretty proud of him too. I am still doing some traveling for fun and outside of New York and Colorado to visit my sons. I’ve been to Bhutan, India, Italy and Spain in the past couple of years. Not sure where I’ll be going next, but it will be fun.”

Joel Mark Coffman (B.S. ‘84) writes, “Still here at Region 9 EPA in the Underground Injection Control program trying to make it through some tough years of budget cuts and being told to do even more with even less and do it better and faster. Looking to possibly relocate to the Atlanta area in the coming year or two to be near our Ana Rose, my 18 month old grand daughter. All is well with us! If you are in Northern California, give us a shout out! Bella, Susan and Joel.”

William D. Demis (M.A. ‘83) shares, “I am finally retired after 3 tries. Now Mary and I are traveling. We find geology wherever we go. We have a summer home in Colorado too. Life is awesome.” Bill can be contacted at billdemis@aol.com.

Richard Alan (Rick) Kolb (M.A. ‘81) writes, “Spent a week in Austin for the spring graduation ceremonies. Daughter Jennifer (born when I was in grad school at UT) received her MS in
social work in August from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, 37 years to the month after I received my master’s in geology. She plans to stay in Austin and be a social worker. Son Travis also lives in Austin, working for GeoSearch. I am still a consulting environmental geologist in Cary, NC, and completed my second and final term last year on the North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists, but I’m still on the board ‘til the governor appoints my replacement. Achieved one of my goals on the board by establishing a continuing-education requirement for geologists licensed in North Carolina. I’m also active in the Carolina Chapter of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists and expect to begin a 3-year term as director for the southeastern US chapters for AEG in September.”

Bill Layton (B.S. ‘81) writes, “KC and I are doing fine, and between us, we have 7 grandkids to keep us in line. I’m working at Abraxas Petroleum in San Antonio, and we are busy drilling wells in North Dakota and West Texas primarily. Hope all you 1981 grads are
healthy having phun….. and to quote from 660 field camp…. “The Phantom Rules!!”

Bruno Maldonado (B.S. ‘82) writes, “Hello Longhorns…I am not quite fully
retired yet but continue to consult. I am currently working on a part time basis for Gustavson Associates as Geophysical Manager/ Business Development role. Additionally, I consult through my own company BXM Petroleum Geoscience. Most of my work focus is International, but have done some work in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and the Texas Gulf Coast. I am still involved with the Jackson School serving on their FANs Board. My free time is dedicated to spending time with the grandkids (shown in attached photo). My youngest son and wife are expecting another girl this month. Hope to see you at some of the Longhorn and Jackson School events in the near future…Hook ‘em.”

Jeffrey J. Palmer (M.A. ‘82) shares, “I’ll be retiring from ExxonMobil at the end of August, 2018, after almost 36 years.”

Joseph Elton Patterson (M.A. ‘83) shares, “After almost 3 years in Abu Dhabi working as an ExxonMobil secondee geologic modeler with ZADCO/ADNOC, it’s time to head back to the U.S. I’ll be returning, in October, to the North Houston area to continue work for EM (at least for a while). Retirement is starting to sound kind of nice after 35 years. I hope to get reacquainted with UT/Rice alums in the Houston area.”

Robert Mark Reed (B.S. ‘85, Ph.D. ‘99) shares, “I am still working at the UT Bureau of Economic Geology (coming up on 20 years), where the focus of my work is on the microstructures of sedimentary rocks, particularly shales. I was recently promoted to Research Scientist Associate V. I look forward to seeing my former classmates at the JSG alumni functions at the GSA and AAPG annual conventions.”

Barrett Riess (B.S. ‘86) is managing projects worldwide with Core Lab Reservoir Geology in Houston.

Paul Quint Warren (B.S. ‘88, M.A. ‘95) can be reached at paul_q_warren@utexas.edu.

1990s

Donald Andrew Bowen (B.S. ‘91) writes, “Hello! I have made a career change. After graduating in ’91, I worked as a groundwater consultant. In 1998, I left UT after earning my MBA. However, I have found my true calling; working as a professional life coach! I will help people create an enjoyable life that aligns with their personal values. I have done this in my life and I’d like to help others do the same. Please feel free to reach out to me, even if it is just to catch up! Best wishes to all.” Andrew can be reached at bowen.andrew@ gmail.com.

Danielle Leigh Carpenter (M.A. ‘96) married Sam Downing on June 8, 2018.

James Farmer (B.S. ‘94) lives in Houston and can be reached at jfarmer04@hotmail.com.

Daniel Russell McConnell (B.S. ‘95) writes, “Life is good. Beth and I were fortunate to not flood during Hurricane Harvey because of the known, but fortuitous, quirk of being at the top of a minor watershed in fairly flat-lying NW Houston (I think it is because the Hockley-Cypress fault reoriented the Cypress Creek watershed in the recent past). Our daughters are well. The older (B.A. Geography ‘17) is working in Taiwan for her international experience year before deciding on graduate school. The younger is thriving and studying up the road at Southwestern in Georgetown. My job at Fugro has me working future-oriented businesses in gas hydrates and marine minerals on both a technical and strategic level. I am interested in characterizing gas hydrates from seismic data and helping
governments and research groups with gas hydrate field programs. This past year, in a new development for me, I was appointed to serve a 2-year term on the U.S. Department of Energy Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee. For marine minerals and deep sea mining, much of the pre-commercial site characterization work has been done by academic research groups, but eventually it will need to be done for purpose-hire. To that end, I was the lead field scientist on a 2 month cruise – one of the first private sector ultrahigh resolution survey and sampling programs for polymetallic nodules in the Eastern Pacific this year. It was good to be at sea again- it is not something that I often do. So yes, all’s good and well. I can be contacted at dan.mcconnell@utexas.edu.”

James (M.A. ’95) and Sheri White with their daughters Grace (age 12) and Hadley (age 10).

John Wilcox (B.S. ‘90) in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Hook ‘em!

2000s

Gilberto A. Calderon (M.A. ‘09) with niece Amalia in Mexico City where he is an advisor with the Comision Federal de Electricidad.

Theresa Damiani (Ph.D. ‘08) shares, “There are two pieces of news to share: Personally, I’m very happy to tell you that my husband and I welcomed our first child, a girl, to the family in September 2017! She is happy, healthy, and such a joy to us! There may be a little of mom in her since she’s already trying to disassemble everything she gets her hands on. Professionally, after nearly 10 years with the NOAA- National Geodetic Survey as a research geodesist, I’ve been promoted to Chief of NGS’ Spatial Reference System Division. I’m very excited to move into management and supervision of this active group, who conduct both operations and research! The Division helps to define the US’ National Spatial Reference System, manages NGS’ national GNSS network (CORS and Foundation CORS), houses an International GNSS Service (IGS) analysis center for GPS satellite orbit products, and maintains the OPUS suite of tools for precise GNSS positioning.” Theresa can be reached at theresa.damiani@noaa.gov.

Kelly Iacono Daniel (B.S. ‘04) was selected for the Austin Under 40 Award in the Energy, Mobility & Transportation Category based on her leadership in the engineering industry, specifically through environmental services provided to the energy industry, and her commitment to serving the Austin community. She manages the environmental group at Kleinfelder and is the Vice President of Finance for the Pflugerville Education Foundation Board of Directors. She also contribute to the community by volunteering for Ronald McDonald House Charities and driving for Meals on Wheels.

Laurel Michelle Gandler (M.S. ‘06) recently moved back to Houston with her family and started a new position with W&T Offshore.

Cory Lane Hoffman (Ph.D. ‘00) writes, “After 11 great years with SM Energy in Midland, I recently decided to pursue another opportunity here in Midland, also within the oil and gas industry. So, after two years of serving in various manager roles (Exploration Manager, Operations Geology Manager, and Asset Development Manager) focused primarily on the unconventional plays of the Midland Basin, I am excited to return to a technical role. Moreover, I’m excited to join Apache and return to what brought me to the Permian Basin some 19 years ago – working carbonate reservoirs. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities those reservoirs and assets offer, immersing myself in the literature again, and collaborating with those having similar interests. On the home front, Tonya, my wife of 24 years is doing well as are all our 4 children. My oldest daughter, Rebecca, is now a senior at high school with driver’s license in hand and way too many potential career paths for my liking. My middle son, Robert, is now a sophomore in high school, seems to have a strong engineering bent, and still enjoys training/competing in gymnastics. My middle daughter, Leah, has started middle school and is the only one of my children who has shown some interest in geology (I’m still hopeful). My youngest daughter, Rachel, is still in elementary school and also is into gymnastics like her big brother. Our family is very involved in First Baptist Church Midland, and I have had the privilege and blessing to teach a Sunday School class each week to a group of adult couples and senior adults for over 15 years. I look forward to hearing your stories. God bless!” Cory can be reached at cory.hoffman@suddenlink.net.

Lauren Greene Martin (B.S. ‘07) and her husband, Pascal, welcomed their son Ben in March. He joins big brothers Graham and Charlie.

Julie Mitchell (B.S. ‘08) shares, “I graduated from UT Austin in 2008 with B.S. degrees in geological sciences and aerospace engineering. I recently completed my PhD in geological
sciences with a focus in planetary science at Arizona State University. I’m now working in the Astromaterials Curation Office at the Johnson Space Center; we curate NASA’s returned
planetary samples, including the Apollo lunar samples, Antarctic meteorites, and other samples. As the Curator of Ices and Organics, I am responsible for preparing NASA for sample return missions from the lunar poles and comets.” Julie can be reached at julie.l.mitchell@nasa.gov.

2010s

Gabriel Aguilar (M.S. ’14) and Fatma Kubra
Arisoy (M.S. ‘15) writes, “Hello, I am a Reservoir Geophysicist, and I have worked in
the Deparment of Reservoir Geophysics and Quantitative Seismic Interpretation at Turkish Petroleum Corporation for almost 3 years. I was a graduate student at Jackson School of Geosciences from 2013-2015. It was a unique experience that gave me so much confidence for my job and changed my whole understanding of what I am capable of. I learned a lot, met so many great people, had so much fun and now I am a proud alumni. I hope that someday my path will cross the University of Texas at Austin again.”

Maggie Behnke (B.S. ‘12) is now a Texas Professional Geoscientist and is working as the sole geologist at the environmental consulting firm Blanton & Associates in Austin, Texas. Maggie can be reached at maggie.behnke@ blantonassociates.com.

Ryan T. Brown (M.A. ‘18) shares, “I completed a dual Master’s program with degrees in Energy and Earth Resources at the Jackson School and Global Policy Studies from the LBJ School. I am now located in Geneva and working at the UN Economic Commission for Europe in the Sustainable Energy Division promoting research assistance for the Group of Experts on Renewable Energy.” Ryan can be reached at ryanbrown@utexas.edu.

Mackenzie Day (Ph.D. ‘17) shares, “This past July (2018), I started a faculty position as an assistant professor at UCLA. We are in the process of building a wind tunnel and have already established a productive research group!”

Diana Eldam (B.S. ‘12) and fellow JSG alumn Julianne Wooten (B.S. ‘12) 40 ft deep under water during a wall dive at UT’s favorite modern carbonate system, Turks and Caicos!

Kayla Fenton (M.S. ‘17) was selected for the 2018 GreenBiz 30
Under 30. Determined to fight the sort of suburban sprawl that defined her Houston childhood, Kayla Fenton started her career in urban planning, digging into community development projects throughout Portland, Oregon, and even developing a flood resilience plan there. She jumped to the private sector a year ago, armed with a master’s thesis, analyzing the energy consumption and emissions profile of meal-kit delivery services and on-the-job experience at Nestlé Waters North America and Amazon. The first was thanks to an internship with EDF Climate Corps. The latter connection led Fenton to her current job as part of the team that helped Amazon eliminate more than 305 million shipping boxes in 2017 by researching and designing smaller, more flexible ways to deliver goods safely and efficiently. “A lot of where the rubber hits the road is in operations,” she said. “This is where we have the most opportunity to influence outcomes from an energy perspective,
from a waste reduction perspective, lots of elements of sustainability that are usually both economical and a win when it comes to sustainable outcomes.” Fenton is an enthusiastic hiker and camper who vividly recalls her first glimpse of the majestic Columbia River Gorge. She is also an EDF Climate Corps mentor eager to guide her peers toward meaningful and rewarding careers in sustainability. “We’re missing out on really smart people that want to work in this space.”

Stefanie Frelinger (M.S. ‘15) has been a Geologist and 3-D Geomodeller with Nexen NPU since October 2015.

Hector K. Garza (B.S. ‘16) is a Geoscientist at Premier Oilfield Group in Houston, TX.

Sam Hiebert (B.A. ‘10, M.S. ‘13) shares, “2018 was a great year. I started my second year of the Professional MBA program at Rice, joined a team exploring in Mexico, and got married in July! I am working hard to find and develop new resource using the world-class education I received both in
the class room and in the field while a student at the JSG. Thanks again to the Alumni Network for organizing great events in Houston and Austin. It is always fun to catch up with old friends and mentors.” Sam can be contacted at samuelhiebert@utexas.edu.

Pedro Alejandro Garza Juarez (M.S. ‘18) works at Pemex in Mexico and can be reached at alejandro.garza@ utexas.edu or pedro.alejandro.garza@ pemex.com.

Justin Mauck (M.S. ‘17) writes, “I am off to the boom town of Midland Texas to join the oil and gas industry! I look forward to interacting with all
the past and future University of Texas graduates.” Justin can be reached at jmauck@slb.com.

Frank Morgan (B.S. ‘11) shares, “After almost 4 years of working for Devon Energy in Oklahoma City, I started a new job as a geologist for Austin-based ATX Energy Partners (formerly Brigham Resources). We focus on US onshore basins all over, but in particular, the Rockies region including the Powder River Basin.” Frank can be reached at frankmo0053@gmail.com.

Juan Jose Munoz (M.S. ‘17) can be reached at jjmunoz33@gmail.com. Jordan Oefinger (B.S. ‘18) shares, “I am pursuing a MS in sedimentary geology at the University of Arkansas under the supervision of Dr. Glenn Sharman after completing a summer internship as an exploration geologist
with Lewis Energy Group.”

Christine O’Neill (M.S. ‘14) shares, “I’m currently working in the mining industry in Nevada and have the wonderful opportunity to see all kinds of different deposit types.”

Evan Pearson (B.S. ‘10) writes, “I will be completing my law school career at Texas Law beginning this fall. I’m very excited to be back in Austin, and I look forward to hanging another degreee from the University of Texas in my home. Although my career pivoted, I’ll never forget the opportunities that the Jackson School provided me.” Evan can be reached at ezpearson@gmail.com.

Forrest Roberts (M.S. ‘13) is a Geologist at Terra Guidance and can be reached at forrest.roberts@terraguidance.com.

Jacoup Roiz (B.S. ‘18) shares, “This fall I will be starting my M.S. in geology at the University of Texas at El Paso.” He can be reached at jroiz12@yahoo.com.

Reed Roush (B.S. ‘12, M.S. ‘15) is an exploration geologist with EOG Resources in San Antonio and can be reached at reedroush@gmail.com. Makoto Sadahiro (M.A. ‘14) can be reached at sadahiro@gmail.com.

Kristopher James Voorhees
(B.S. ‘14, M.S. ‘16) writes, “Since graduating from the Jackson School just Apache. I’ve been able to work assets in offshore Suriname, the Gulf Coast, and I’m currently working Permian Basin stratigraphy. During my time in the Jackson School, I developed a love for the outdoors and adventure through extensive fieldwork and class field trips. I’ve continued to foster that passion through travel. Last winter, I trekked to Everest Base Camp and summited Kala Patthar. Over the summer, I went on an epic surf trip along the coast of Portugal. Feel free to reach me at kris.voorhees@utexas.edu!”

Rachel Veronica Simon Wallace
(M.S. ‘13, Ph.D ‘18) shares, “I graduated from the Jackson School of Geosciences in the spring of 2018. I am now beginning my dream job as a Human Gross Anatomy instructor at the Dell Medical School in Austin, Texas.”

Friends

Jay McGovern shares, “I wrote a book on Geology.”

William I (Bill) Woods shares, “In November we took a month-long trip to Australia and New Zealand. Francisco and I traveled first to Sydney and had a great time doing the Bridge Climb and seeing the sites, including the Opera  House, the Zoo, the Blue Mountains and Botanical Garden. It was fun to use the ferries to move around the city and to visit outlying beaches. Then on to Cairns where we snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef and took the Kuranda rail tour into the mountains . I really liked the laid-back atmosphere in Cairns; it’s an easy city to visit. In Auckland, New Zealand we visited the Hobbiton movie set where they filmed “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings.” This was truly a highlight for me as we got to walk among the Hobbit houses and see where the various scenes were filmed. Then we flew first to Christchurch and then to Queenstown. Queenstown is one of the most beautiful places on earth, located on a huge lake with surrounding mountains. It’s close to Doubtful Sound, so we took a side trip there and got to see penguins and whales. Out last stop on this wonderful adventure was Hobart, Tazmania, where we spent 5 days with Francisco’s childhood friend Victor and his family, who were super hosts. The weather was a bit cold and drizzy after the first day, but we still had a great visit. Later, in March, we visited Caddo Lake State Park in NE Texas. It’s Texas’ largest freshwater lake and is a maze of slow-moving bayous, wetlands and backwaters. It covers about 26,810 acres of cypress swamp, depending on rainfall. The State Park has cabins to rent and is very comfortable. Friends and coworkers may reach me at billw@utexas.edu.”

Professors Emeriti

Earle Francis McBride reports, “A year ago I got into print my interpretation of the sedimentary geology of basal Paleozoic rocks between Durango and Silverton, CO. My first sampling was done in the 1980s; some projects move at a glaciers pace. Some of the rocks were misdated by the USGS in the 1890s. Lynton Land, Kitty Milliken, and a couple of Luigi Folk’s ex-students and I, with Dean Mosher’s approval, are compiling anecdotes about Luigi. If you have one to contribute, email it to me at efmcbride@jsg.utexas.edu. Our compilation will become available as an internet download before long. Luigi and I started a study of the ferricretes (Tertiary sandstones strongly cemented by iron oxides) in central Texas. I was to do the field work and he most of the SEM work. I’m pondering how to proceed. The Jackson School International Rock Collection was established a few years ago. Samples will be archived at the Pickle Campus. A searchable database will be available online. Already on hand are 6000 of Luigi’s samples, 3000 of mine, plus samples from the collections of Steve Clabaugh, Doug Smith, Dan Barker, Rich Kyle, and others. We would like to have thin-section images of many of the samples attached to the online database. My daughter, Suzanne McBride, is transcribing locality information of Luigi’s 6000 samples into a database. She has to interpret Luigi’s hand-written notes in pencil. So far she has kept her sanity!”

James Sprinkle writes, “2017-2018 was my 5th year as a Professor Emeritus. I kept busy presenting a joint abstract (with my co-worker Tom Guensburg) at the 2017 GSA Annual Meeting in Seattle, 2 joint abstracts (with my former Ph.D. student Lou Zachos, and with Tom) at the SE GSA Regional Meeting in Knoxville in April, another joint abstract and talk with Tom at the Fifth International Palaeontological Congress in Paris, France, in early July, and I was involved in 3 additional joint talks (1 that I will present with 6 other co-authers, and 2 others in which I was the co-author) in a paleontological session in my honor at the upcoming 2018 GSA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. Several manuscripts from these 7 talks are almost ready to be submitted, but no journal papers of mine were published this academic year.”