Bill Fisher Receives Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal from American Geological Institute

April 2, 2007

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia—The American Geological Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce Dr. William L. Fisher as the recipient of the 2007 Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal. Established in 1999, the award is presented to a geoscientist who has demonstrated a long history of scientific achievement and exceptional service to the geoscience profession.

Fisher received his B.S. in geology from Southern Illinois University in 1954 and both his M.A. and Ph.D. in geology from the University of Kansas in 1958 and 1961 respectively. He has been the recipient of honorary doctorates from Southern Illinois University and the Colorado School of Mines.

Since earning his degrees, Fisher has contributed greatly to the geoscience community. He is the Leonidas T. Barrow Chair and Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences of the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Previously, he served as the inaugural dean and the first director of the John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, a school he was instrumental in founding as well as securing its substantial endowment. He is a former long-time director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, former chairman of the Department of Geological Sciences and former director of the Geology Foundation. He has published more than 340 articles, reports and books and during his tenure has supervised or co-supervised more than 100 graduate students.

Furthermore, he has held many leadership roles including serving as president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (1985-1986), the American Geological Institute (1990-1991), the American Institute of Professional Geologists (1993), and the Association of American State Geologists (1981-1982). Dr. Fisher has an exceptional record of public service. He served as an advisor to many local and federal officials and is a member of the National Petroleum Council; a former member the Commission on Geoscience, Environment, and Resources of the National Research Council; Assistant Secretary of Energy and Minerals in the United States Department of the Interior; and a member of the White House Science Council. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a founding member of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.

Apart from the Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal, Dr. Fisher has previously received a Presidential Citation form the University of Texas (2002), the Don R. Boyd Medal (2002) from the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, the William H. Twenhofel Medal (2001) from SEPM, the Sidney Powers Medal (1994) from AAPG, the Ben F. Parker Medal (1996) from AIPG, the Ian Campbell Medal (1991) from AGI, and the Hollis D. Hedberg Medal (1991) from the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man.

Dr. Fisher's constant commitment and dedication to promoting the earth sciences through his work have made him extremely deserving of the Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal.

The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 44 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources and interaction with the environment.

For more information on the Marcus Milling Medal and AGI, contact Andrea Martin at asm@agiweb.org.

For more information about the Jackson School, contact J.B. Bird at jbird@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-232-9623.