Alumni Notes

December 12, 2023

1940s

Bub Joyce (B.S. ‘48) writes, “After 73 years working as a petroleum geologist, I have retired and I am enjoying my new life of leisure.”

1950s

Richard T. Buffler (B.S. ’59) shares “We continue to enjoy living in Santa Fe and still traveling some. Come see us.”

Wayne D. Miller (M.A. ‘57) says, “After working the past 65 years in the West Texas Permian Basin as a geologist for various oil companies and as an independent consultant for the last 40 years, I am finally slowing down. I still enjoy my morning coffee group with retired geologists and then spending time at my office. Still doing some consulting. Looking forward to the newsletter.”

James V. Richards (B.S. ‘56) James V. “Jim” Richards is still living in Houston, Texas at age 89 after working over 60 years in the exploration business. He served as a longtime Delegate to AAPG, member of HGS, Treasurer of SIPES. Retired as a Commander USN.

Theodore E. Stanzel (B.S. ‘56) shares, “There is no significant news to report, however, living out my retirement years in Schulenburg among friends and relatives visiting from near and far.”

Leslie P. White (B.S. ‘56) writes, “Dianne’s Parkinson’s worsened and we finally did what we had to do. We have vacated a home we have lived in 29 years and moved into a senior living facility. Dianne is doing very well here. She has many friends and attends every exercise activity available. I am busy as her caregiver. It is a job I cherish. The family is very happy to see the teaching and research that is happening at the outdoor learning center. And, as always, we are very proud of the achievements of JSG.”

1960s

Rubin A. Schultz (B.S. ‘61) says, “Not much new, enjoying great grandkids and still traveling some. Nancy and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on July 7, 2023.”

Richard B. Waitt (B.S. ‘66, M.A. ‘70) shares, “I continue as a research geologist (not yet retired) with the US Geological Survey’s Cascades Volcano Observatory at Vancouver, Wash. Finishing a number of Quaternary and physical-volcanology reports resulting from past and/or continuing fieldwork — mostly on recently erupted volcanoes such as Mount St. Helens and on the great Pleistocene Missoula floods. Lately edited and contributed to a GSA Special Paper 548 “Untangling the Quaternary” and led a fall-2021 GSA field trip to upper Grand Coulee. I continue as an Assoc. Editor for journals GSA Bulletin and Northwest Science. Through GSA Foundation, Cynthia and I are funding an annual student-research grant/award to support field-based research in Quaternary geology and physical volcanology.”

William (Feather) Wilson (B.S. ‘60, M.A. ‘62) writes, “I’m still working as a consulting geologist at the age of 89 in the fields of petroleum and groundwater geology. My long journey as a frontier geologist allowed me to work in 67 countries both onshore and offshore for both major and independent companies in leadership roles from exploration and research to corporate officer. Published three books including two novels and many papers. Worked as a rancher, stockbroker, real estate broker, writer and a few other things but always came back to geology. I also have two sons who were UT Austin geology students who have now retired, Douglas and Clayton. I owe a great deal of my life as a geologist to my graduate advisor, Dr. R. L. Folk. It has been a wild ride!”

William C. Young (B.A. ‘61) says, “I’m still able to travel and see parts of the world, in spite of my hearing loss and diminished eyesight.”

1970s

Gale Arden Bishop (Ph.D. ‘71) continues research on fossilized sea turtle nests from the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway in Colorado and the coastline of Croatia. His team has identified 41 fossil nests in the Late Albian rocks near Pula, Croatia, on the shoreline of the Adriatic Sea. The fossilized sea turtle nests are tied directly to a sea turtle nesting ethogram and interspersed with tracks and trackways of dinosaurs, birds, Crocodilians, pterosaurs, and other Early Cretaceous beasts; with four nests actually stepped and tracked by dinosaurs. The Pula deposit is especially important as it represents a sea turtle rookery. Bishop’s Research Team has thus far published six papers on the two occurrences.

Thomas W. Broadhead (M.A. ‘75) retired from the University of Tennessee (the other UT) in 2021 as Professor of Geology. In his 42 years at UT, he was director of the University Honors Program for nine years and later was Director of Undergraduate Academic Advancement, where he was involved in the recruitment of high achieving undergraduate students. A lifelong philatelist, Tom was named Outstanding Topical Philatelist by the American Topical Association in 2023 for his many related activities, including teaching courses about the historic and cultural importance of stamp images for the UT Honors Program and at universities in China. Tom chairs the advisory board for the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture at UT. He enjoys spending time with his grown children and five grandchildren.

C. Elmo Brown (B.A. ‘76) writes, “Not much new here in Kerrville (except for a lot of new houses). Kathy and I are enjoying our days living in the hill country. We did, however, take an almost month-long trip to enjoy the cuisine and nightlife of Portugal, the grand mosques and cathedrals of Spain and the scenic and rugged beauty of Morocco. The intertwined history of these three countries was quite interesting. Speaking of rugged beauty, we have also been spending a fair amount of time at our family place in the Big Bend country. It is the same house where, during spring break 44 years ago, 22 or so members of the University Student Geological Society (the UT geology club) spent a few days exploring the rocks of Big Bend; in part led by professor Bill Muehlberger.”

Royce P. Carr (B.S. ‘76 ) writes, “Hi UT JSG Grads. Deborah and I still live in Mount Pleasant, Texas. We live on the lake and we have 3 sons and daughter- in-laws and five grandchildren. We travel and enjoy seeing family and friends. I hope to see you in Austin this fall. Hook’em.”

Henry S. Chafetz (Ph.D. ‘70) says, “Hi all, been quite a while since I posted and a very long while since I graduated, 1970. Retired May 2020, Emeritus status at the University of Houston, i.e., still have an office and some lab space. It was a great run for me, UH paid me a salary for 50 years to play with carbonate rocks, which I’m still doing with a few former as well as present grad students. Had an interesting consulting gig recently as part of a large group pertaining to preservation of the Alamo, carbonate building stones have been in place 300 years, how can that be maintained. So still in Houston, enjoying the good life and would be more than happy to meet with any of my old classmates who happen to be in Houston and swap lies with them over a glass of beer, wine, scotch, whatever. Briefly, Janet, former wife, we married in 1969, passed away from cancer in 2006, was also UH faculty in Sociology; she published 11 books during her career. I remarried (Tralee) in 2015. Josh, my son, Yale undergrad and law school, with a M.Phil and D.Phil from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He now has an endowed chair at Georgetown Law School. So life has had its ups and downs, but all in all, life has been good, could not imagine a better life for me than as a university prof.”

Patricia W. Dickerson (B.A. ‘70, Ph.D. ‘95) shares, “Field work in the Big Bend continues with gusto, and with visible results. Sessions in Big Bend Ranch State Park with close colleagues yielded intriguing data that have now been published in a GSA memoir. Good to see all that in print — especially so, as my longtime field compadre, Blaine Hall, was able to see it before he departed for extraterrestrial field research. 2023 began in the field on an exciting bi-national project (Chihuahua, San Angelo State, Sul Ross State universities) to investigate tectonic/hydrogeologic relations along the Rio Grande in Chihuahua. And on the horizon are page proofs of a chapter in an Elsevier text on world rifts. Still traveling — excited about an IGCP 735 Task Force field conference in September 2024. We’ll meet in western Argentina, in the area that started me on my current research path decades ago. It will be great grins to be back there with old friends and new data to show. (Of course, I’ll build in time to tango in Buenos Aires, before and afterward!) Meanwhile, in this hemisphere — and a year sooner — I’ve just been asked to work another Smithsonian tour in Iceland this September — looking forward to that! Hoping to get a (respectfully) closer view of the young volcano that’s been blasting for some months, just south of the capitol. Here in River City, a mere city bus ride away, ongoing GeoRef work with favorite folks at AGI and UT is edifying and enjoyable. And volunteering for Austin Classical Guitar provides the musical accompaniment for it all.”

Win R. Goter (M.A. ‘74) writes, “I have been retired for seven years and always surprised at how quickly those years have gone. Linda and I enjoy traveling with two years off for Covid and now trying to make up for lost time. A big focus for us is our five grandkids – four girls and one boy, with two daughters. I am outnumbered! Best wishes to all my fellow grads. P.S. I am on Facebook.”

Paul F. Hoffman (B.S. ‘75) says, “Warm regards to all our long-time UT Geologist friends. I’m now nearly retired, but so grateful to UT and many mentors for making possible such a fulfilling career. Will likely dissolve Allen-Hoffman Exploration Co. this year, but still have some activity, both within AHEC and with some equity interests to keep me occupied. And doing some limited consulting. Concluding a 3-year term on the AAPG AC that was occasionally satisfying, but often exasperating. The recent AAPG leadership election does give me hope! I’m very active in several civic, professional, and church functions and trying to stay fit enough for racing the sailboat and pickleball – and wondering if I might again find time for golf. Tina and I settled in on the shore of Lake Livingston and are still in good health and keeping up with our kids and 16 grandchildren. And finally again enjoying lots of travel, both in the States and in Europe. Life’s good!”

David M. Levin (B.A. ‘78) shares, “I found a place finally where I can beat the Texas summer heat: The Oregon Coast. Alaskan winds keep it cool around 65 degrees all summer long. I still have production and development to do but that is surprisingly difficult to get done from the beach in Oregon!”

Clair R. Ossian (Ph.D. ‘74) writes, “As I approach 83 years old, life has become greatly complicated. Unfortunately, my legs have suffered enough that I can no longer walk very well. So much for a wild life of climbing, exploring, and rich possibilities worldwide. It’s hard to imagine the way my life would have turned out without having gotten my PhD degree from Austin. I can look back on a life that I could never have imagined. Thank you, Geoscience department, all the great profs, and a wonderful set of friends made during my grad years (1970-1974). I’d do it all again if I could.”

Brendan L. Sidereas (B.S. ‘74) shares, “It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been retired over 9 years now. Enjoyed a recent trip to much cooler Ontario, Canada. Stayed at a friend’s family lakeside cottage near Westport. Visited Perth, on the fringe of the Canadian Shield, and their capital city Ottawa. Picked up some large crystals of feldspar and bought a very nice specimen of green and blue apatite with sheets of mica (economically mined). I do this rock collecting frequently on vacations now while my wife Carolyn shops. We’ll be married 50 years Oct 2024, so it must work out well!”

1980s

Teresa M. Carpenter (B.S. ‘85) writes, “Does anyone wonder what a UT Geophysics student who graduates during a drop in the oil market does? Well, I got another degree in mathematics, then became a computer programmer for the Water Development Board. I then did the “dot com shuffle” as a website developer at various startup companies. During that time, I went to massage therapy school and coached soccer and volleyball on the side. After getting laid off when my position was eliminated, I started my own massage therapy and fitness training business using the same analytical skills I learned from my fields of study. Several years ago I added realtor and now broker to my list of careers, and love the variety! Through it all I’m still a rock hound, and my husband and I own a small ski condo at Purgatory resort outside of Durango, Colorado (where I spent 3 weeks mapping the area during GEO 660 field camp).” Teresa can be reached at tcarpenter512@gmail.com.

Daryl S. Chicken (B.S. ‘88) shares, “Working at Rival Downhole Tools selling drilling equipment to various operators around Texas. Two daughters: one getting her Masters at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and the youngest into her second semester at UT Communications.” Daryl can be reached at daryl.chicken@icloud.com.

John L. Ebach (B.S. ‘82) writes, “Retired from Hess now, just enjoying life and cruising on Royal Caribbean when we can. I have more time to create fountain pens and other things that I want to try. Janet and I are still living in Kingwood/Houston, Texas. Hope renews every year for a football team to match our early 80’s teams. To all the Geo 660 friends, Hook ‘em Horns. All the grand kiddos are either in their last years of college or graduated. My oldest daughter still talks about the fun we all had in the thin section labs.” John can be reached at johnebach007@gmail.com.

Tatiana Frierson (B.S. ‘85) shares, “I just had my 4th work anniversary as CEO of Inspirus (a Sodexo Company, benefits and rewards division). We are an employee engagement and recognition company that offers a global platform to recognize and retain our most important asset — your people. It’s been a great opportunity and have enjoyed doing “good” for employees and companies. Sodexo Benefits and Rewards has now been rebranded Pluxee — and in 2024 we’ll be spinning off from mother Sodexo and Pluxee will be listed on the Paris exchange. Lots of great stuff… Hook ‘em Horns!”

Charles A. Goebel (B.S. ‘80) says, “I’m largely retired and enjoying life in Ft. Worth.”

Paul A. Hardwick (B.S. ‘83) writes, “Still working at Smith Energy Company in Houston drilling conventional wells in the Northern Midland Basin. Coming up on our 39th wedding anniversary in September with my wife and UT grad Laurie. Proud of two daughters that graduated from UT. One with a Bachelor’s living in LA and one with a Master’s from LBJ living in North Carolina. Taking lots of trips and enjoying life. Hi to all the ‘83 grads.”

Charles G. Johnson (B.S. ‘83) shares, “Now in my 40th year after graduation in the Centennial Year, I continue to pursue opportunities for acquisition, but successful ventures are harder to find when it comes to old conventional properties. Still, I am with the same company now for the last nearly 28 years and have done extremely well, considering the ups and downs of our industry. Our baby girl has now graduated and heads off to yell “Roll Tide” in the fall of ‘23. I already have my tickets to the UT-Bama game in September and will definitely have my Burnt Orange fishing shirt on in the Visitors section, just not sure what hat I’ll be wearing since a lot of our money is heading for Tuscaloosa. My two girls are still close, but I have sons in Japan and Prague teaching English and another with his family and our grandbabies in Eugene, Oregon.”

Marcus M. Key (B.S. ‘83) writes, “It’s been 40 years since graduating from UT! Maria and I are still living in Carlisle, PA where I work at Dickinson College. Our 5 kids are all grown and pretty much left the nest. Teaching soft rock geology classes and research keep me busy. I’m on sabbatical this academic year chasing bryozoans fouling sea turtles along the Atlantic coast and on Miocene crabs in eastern Europe.”

Bruno Maldonado (B.S. ‘82) shares, “I am still ticking and find it difficult to retire as my love for geology keeps me involved in the local and national geoscience organizations. I keep telling Patricia that as long as someone has use for my skills I will continue to work as I see applying geoscience knowledge and technology as a passion. My current projects in Texas are keeping me state side and near my grandkids. As for one of my other passions, fishing, I have a dedicated understudy in Isaac, my grandson, who loves fishing. My three granddaughters are coming around and have fished some with me. In a recent fishing trip to the Galveston northern jetty Isaac caught a 38” bull red. I caught a 37.5” black drum. I am including some photos of this trip with my two sons and Isaac. As I mentioned above, I am not ready to retire, however, I am preparing for it as I am currently building my retirement dream home on acreage with a stocked pond (for the grandkids) in Hockley, Texas. That is all for now and hope to see you at the upcoming 2023 IMAGE Conference in Houston.”

James P. McLaren (M.A. ‘84) says, “I worked in California from ‘84 to ‘96 making computer models of earthquakes to predict shaking, and to identify Russian nuclear tests. Returned to Austin in ‘96 and moved into Linux administration and system programming. Nora and I had one son, Tom, who got an M.S. in Biology from the University of Colorado. He just got married to the lovely Thea, and moved to Oregon. Sadly, Nora passed away late in 2022.”

Ginger A. Miller (B.S. ‘87) writes, “After almost 30 years living out of state, 23 in Colorado, we have finally made it back to Texas as mostly empty nesters. We have settled on our little ranch (sadly no mineral rights) in Washington County. Brenham is our new hometown, and we are 6.7 miles from Blue Bell Creameries. Anyone driving by on 290 on their way to Austin is welcome to stop by and say hi!” Ginger can be reached at Gmbras@aol.com.

Shannon E. Morrison (B.S. ‘82) says, “Took over a year to renovate the house and surroundings on the 11-acre property we bought south of Houston. We don’t miss Houston traffic, crime, or politics, but we do miss the restaurants. Have had some Green Acres moments (I caught the zero-turn mower on fire) and some personal revelations (I’ll keep those to myself!). Started prairie conservation this year – removing exotic pasture grass and restoring native grasses and flowers, had a bumper crop of Northern Cardinals and Eastern Bluebirds and have raccoon – and squirrel- proofed the bird feeders. Still traveling – Malaysia last Fall, Europe this Summer. Grandsons all growing up – oldest got married in April, youngest starts 7th grade in the Fall. Life is Good!”

Bruce R. Swartz (B.S. ‘82) writes, “I have phased out of being an Exploration and Operating Company and am concentrating on Prospecting and Consulting. Should have done this decades ago. I hope everyone is doing well.”

1990s

Darcy B. Cuthill (B.S. ‘93) says, “All is well, living in Vancouver BC now with my husband and 3 teens, enjoying a new stage in life.”

Bruce K. Darling (Ph.D. ‘97) shares, “I retired from my consulting practice in December 2021, but I remain involved with the profession in several ways. I am the District II (South Texas) representative for the Texas Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (TX-AIPG). In February 2023, I was a speaker at the 27th Annual Joint Engineering Societies Conference in Lafayette, Louisiana. The title of my presentation was “Differentiating between biogenic and thermogenic methane in groundwater”; and in April 2023, I led a three-day field trip to Hudspeth and Culberson counties, Texas for TX-AIPG. The field trip focused on the tectonic development, structural geology, economic geology (especially rare earth elements), and ground-water resources of that area of Trans-Pecos Texas. A key feature of the field trip was the drive on Day 2 to the highest point in the Eagle Mountains (Eagle Peak, elevation 7481 ft). In October 2022, Diane and I sold our house in Austin and moved to Bastrop, TX, ground-zero for the Darling family in Texas since 1834. Since the move, I have focused my time on rebuilding my ham radio shack and planning the installation of a rainwater collection system and the addition of solar power to both houses on our one-acre country ‘estate.’” Bruce can be reached at bkdarling@protonmail.com.

Rimas J. Gaizutis (B.S. ‘91) says, “I just crossed my 10 year mark at Repsol as Global Subsurface Data Manager in the Woodlands and my twins start their senior year of high school.”

Mark J. Graebner (Ph.D. ‘91) Mark can be reached at graebner@sbcglobal.net.

Dan R. McConnell (B.S. ‘95) writes, “Like the Neil Young song ‘Comes a Time,’ there comes a time in a geoscience career where you are either retired or working for yourself. I can’t retire yet, so I have been on my own since Nov 2021. It is great that UT Austin is out coring deeply buried gas hydrates at WR 313 in the GoM as I write this. I have some history with the discovery of those deposits, and it is close to my heart. For me, I am not doing much in gas hydrates anymore, but am finding work in deep sea marine minerals, both desktop studies and offshore gigs. I expect some geoscience work supporting offshore wind, too. Beth and I have two daughters with wedding dates on the near horizon, so I am properly incentivized and need to stay busy! We are all happy and healthy here. I send my best wishes to all my fellow UT geoscientists and their families. My landing page is www.geomarineresources. com. Hook ‘Em!”

Christopher S. Swezey (M.A. ‘91, Ph.D. ‘97) says, “I am still employed as a Research Geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia. At present, I am supervising a large project called the Glaciated Regions Geologic Mapping Project that encompasses a variety of Quaternary and bedrock geologic mapping activities at scales ranging from 1:24,000 to 1:500,000.”

Jennifer W. Truax (B.S. ‘92) shares, “I still live in Rowlett, TX. Happily married for 27 years. Now working as a staff accountant in Allen, Texas. Went for another college degree in Accounting after my BS Geology from UT and my MS in Geochemistry from UTD. In December, celebrated my oldest getting her dual degree in Architecture and Architectural Engineering from UT. My youngest is starting his sophomore year in college. Enjoying life!”

2000s

Jaime Orlando Castillo (M.S. ‘00) writes, “Hello everyone. Specially, Class of Fall 2000.”

Kelly J. Daniel (B.S. ‘04) was elected to the Pflugerville Independent School District’s Board of Trustees, Place 5, in May 2023. Her term in office will expire in May 2025.

Danl M. Lewis (B.S. ‘09) says, “A lot has happened since I left the 40 acres nearly 15 years ago now. I went to graduate school and received a Master’s in Oceanography, started full-time at Chevron and moved to Louisiana, worked in asset development and exploration (for nearly 10 years!), got married, traveled the world, and started our family. I only recently moved to Houston for a new assignment with Chevron working in Global Frontier Exploration and Appraisal in the Emerging Countries – Cyprus team on the Aphrodite project. So far it’s been a great experience! My family and I are looking forward to our next adventure!”

Pamela R. Owen (Ph.D. ‘00) shares, “I am part of the team leading the revitalization of Texas Memorial Museum — now Texas Science & Natural History Museum. The building has undergone significant renovations and updates that will improve the visitor experience‚ all accomplished during this past year. I have been working with a local museum exhibit planning and design team to create new exhibits focusing on deep time and Cretaceous West Texas (hint: the pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus won’t be the only big skeleton in the Great Hall!). I look forward to welcoming folks back to the museum when we reopen in September!”

Claudia Rassi (Ph.D. ‘02) says, “Still living the dream that I dreamt at the beginning of my Ph.D. in 1999, which was to have a chance to stay and work in Brazil. It has been some 21 years with Chevron, 15 of which in Rio de Janeiro. Petroleum business here is very exciting and has its challenges and I would not want to trade.”

2010s

Randy H. Caber (M.S. ‘10) After almost 4 years working with Amazon. com over three states including a short assignment in Australia, Randy has moved on and is currently a Senior Manager for Starbucks in their Technology group in a fully remote role. Randy resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but actively travels, hitting his 50th country visited this year (Ireland). Looking forward to more experiences. Hook ‘Em Horns!

Darby Delane Lee (B.S. ‘19) shares, “I received my MBA from UT Austin in May 2023.”

Phillip G. Levasseur (M.A. ‘12) writes, “In 2011 my wife, Jacquelyn, and I left Austin, Texas for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I began my career with Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation in environmental and regulatory compliance where we successfully developed the Marcellus Shale in northeast Pennsylvania. In October of 2022, I was promoted to Manager, Regulatory Compliance for the Permian Basin assets of Coterra Energy, which is the result of the merger between Cabot Oil & Gas and Cimarex Energy. During our tenure in Pittsburgh we had two children Gustav (2016) and Kathryn (2019), Jacquelyn earned her masters at Duquesne University, and we became heavily engaged in local government where I was elected to public office and lead significant municipal investments in our community to reduce combined sewer overflows to the headwaters of the Ohio River. I will end my class note with words of encouragement to my fellow alumni for them to become involved in their local communities if they haven’t already done so because they can help constructively direct the policy discourse with their respective knowledge and energy.”

Frank Leslie Morgan (B.S. ‘11) says, “I’m currently working as the VP of Geology at Century Natural Resources with primary focus in the Powder River Basin. My wife and I are enjoying living in Houston with our two dogs, Little Larry & Jovie. Just wishing it wasn’t so hot all the time!”

Caroline Mary Nazworth (B.S. ‘17) shares, “We welcomed our first child and future Longhorn in May!”

Michelle R. Stocker (Ph.D. ‘13) has been awarded tenure with promotion to Associate Professor in Paleobiology at Virginia Tech starting in Fall Stocker leads a group studying the evolution of morphology across vertebrates, focusing on fossils from the Triassic Period, and incorporating the use of CT technology.

Kelsi R. Ustipak (M.S. ‘15) writes, “I am amazed that it’s been 10 years since I moved to Austin and started graduate school with David Mohrig’s group. I enjoyed a year of interning with Badley- Ashton and living near the White Oak Bayou inside the 610 Loop. We left Houston after braving the woes of The Downturn job market and returned to Minneapolis, MN. When I eventually became an entry-level geoscientist in the environmental consulting industry, I had to learn many new skills on-the-job: basics of contamination hydrogeology, soil logging for Phase 2 investigations, overseeing installation of subsurface municipal utilities, and sampling highly contaminated groundwater wells. Instead of discovering new prospects, I was mitigating spilled products. In 2021, I joined the Minnesota Department of Transportation as a hydrogeologist. I am part of the Contaminated Material Management Team in the Office of Environmental Stewardship. I manage contracts with environmental consultants to investigate contaminated soil and groundwater risks on road construction projects. Things are about to get busy with federal infrastructure investments! Whether it’s bats, bees, invertebrates, invasive species, or asbestos – we have specialists to address it while improving infrastructure. My spouse Peter and I own a house in South Minneapolis and will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary this August. Peter supervises the packaging staff at Surly Brewing Co, where he’s worked for 6 years. Our Austin rescue dog, Bigby, is 10 years old, gray-in-the-whiskers, and slowing down. He doesn’t know that we’re getting a cat this week, which will spice things up! We have recently enjoyed table top games like Spirit Island and Wingspan, video games like Tears of the Kingdom, and growing my hobby of gardening and collecting native flower seeds.”

Gabrielle Marie Varona (B.S. ‘19, M.S. ‘22) After graduating in December 2022, Abby started at ExxonMobil as a geoscientist. She is currently on the Guyana Exploration Team. She’s had the opportunity to go through new hire trainings including the Big Horn Basin Workshop, learning about exploration concepts and how to apply them in the Guyana Basin.

2020s

Cole Laughlin Carrabba (B.S. ‘23) shares, “I am excited to start my career in August 2023 as a Staff Geologist I at ESE Partners, an environmental consulting firm based in Houston, Texas. I hope to eventually return to school for a graduate degree.” Cole can be reached at colelcarrabba@gmail.com.

London Colette Darce (B.S. ‘22) says, “I got a job as a Recorder Program Specialist with the Texas Water Development Board’s Groundwater Monitoring team! It’s an awesome place to work located right here in Austin that’s growing quickly and has upcoming job postings that are perfect for new grads.” London can be reached at london.darce@twdb.texas.gov.

Daniel Anthony Floris (B.S. ‘23) can be reached at daniel@floris-us.com.

Kameel Jiries Kishek (M.S. ‘23) Kameel can be reached at kameelkishek@gmail.com.

Anurag Abhay Kulkarni (B.S. ’23) says, “I’ve been on a round the world backpacking trip this summer as a victory lap for completing my degree. However, I’ve been doing a fair bit of geotourism as well. I’ve seen paired metamorphic belts in Japan, the large laccolith mount Kinabalu in Borneo, massive karst formations in Malaysia, Ophiolite in Borneo and Oman, and the Deccan traps basalt in India. A unique perspective on travel!”

Erica Lee McCormick (B.S. ‘20) writes, “I’ve finished the first year of my Ph.D. in Earth System Science at Stanford. It’s been great living in California and enjoying the weather with my new puppy!”

Heather Rose (M.S. ‘20) is currently a Regional Water Planner for the Texas Water Development Board. She works with communities around Texas, guiding them with developing their regional water plans for future water supply. Heather also assists communities with applying for state funds to build and/or improve water infrastructure in their area. Heather currently works with Region E (El Paso, Marfa), Region F (San Angelo, Midland, Odessa), and Region H (Houston metro area). Feel free to contact Heather with any questions about working for the state. She can be reached at heather. rose@twdb.texas.gov.

Simon George Scarpetta (Ph.D. ‘21) recently finished his NSF PRFB at UC Berkeley and is starting a 1-year Assistant Professor position this fall semester at the University of San Francisco!

Marlowe Enrique Zamora (B.S. ‘20) graduated from St. Mary’s School of Law and taking the bar exam soon!

FRIENDS/OTHER

William I. (Bill) Woods writes, “Now that Covid is more or less over and I have recovered from a health issue, Francisco and I are headed on our first vacation in three years. We look forward to spending time in Telluride, hiking and seeing the sights and staying a bit cooler. Although it was a rough year, I’m very happy to say that I continue to keep up with friends in DGS and enjoyed my visits at Mark Helper and Mark Cloos’ retirement events, and while there seeing friends and those I worked with for many years. All the best to everyone!”

PROFESSORS EMERITI

James Sprinkle, Professor Emeritus, writes: “This was my 10th year of retirement, and G.K. and I spent most of the year cleaning my office so I could move to a new smaller office for Emeritus Professors on the 6th floor. So, this was the last year in my JSG 4.106 office. I inherited this office from Charlie Bell, who was also a paleontologist, who retired the year after I came to UT. His office was nearly perfect for me because one wall (N side) was lined with 12, 6-ft.-high, tiers of wooden specimen cabinets, which I slowly filled up with echinoderm and teaching specimens found during field work. Another wall (W side) had bookcases with floor-to- ceiling shelves, which I slowly filled up with journals, books, and slide trays for teaching. In the back of this office (E side) was a darkroom for developing pictures and slides that I and my students used to make plates for publications until about 1995. In the 1980s, another desk- to-ceiling bookcase was added above the back of my desk for books, and 57+ reprint boxes, which rapidly filled up with reprints from other echinoderm workers who studied similar topics.

Two wooden specimen cabinets went upstairs to my new office (6.114) with specimens that I needed to work on; the other 10 wooden cabinets were sent out to the Non-vertebrate Paleontological Laboratory (NPL) for storage in their new climate-controlled building at the Pickle Research Center (PRC). My new office also has my computer, a small printer, my microscope, three 4-door file cabinets with files for my former students, projects that needed completion, and topics that I used for teaching. Most of my reprint boxes, many of my journals, and many books were included using new bookcases or the original desk one. Lisa Boucher, Director of the NPL, helped with my remaining journals and books by combining them with the partly complete journals and books that the NPL already had in their library, so they were available for me and others to use.”