GSW: 1970 MEETING MINUTES

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

January 14, 1970

The 927th meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell Auditorium, January 14, 1970, at 7:57 p. m. with President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. presiding.

The President welcomed all present and thanked the mem­bership for their kind response to the Chair's and Secretary's activity on the podium which indicated the meeting was about to start. A three-minute early start of the meeting "broke all earlier precedents.

A call for introduction of visitors revealed that the following guests were present:

Professor Paula Han-Weinheimer, Munich, Germany with Marge Hooker; Ing. Rudolfo Gomez Valle, Mexico City, Mexico with Stephen J. Gawarecki.

The minutes of the 926th meeting were read, corrected and approved.

The Secretary announced that the Council of the Society had, that day, elected the following people to memberships: Marsha Tillman, USGS, Washington, D. C.; Tomas Feininger, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C.; Roger Hekinian, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C.; John S. White, Jr., Nat. Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C.; Harold Banks, Nat. Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C.

The Chair announced a proposal by Dutro, Berdan, and Cohee to delete the reading of the rough minutes at the con­clusion of the Annual Meeting, as required in Art. V, Sec. 10 of the By laws. The membership is required to vote on this recommendation at the next regular meeting.

The Chair then announced that Dr. Lee A. DuBridge, Science Advisor to the President, will speak in the Powell Auditorium at 8:15 p. m. on Thursday, January 15, 1970. The subject of his presentation is "The Problems of Federal Support for Science."

The Secretary announced that the "National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel" will be issued by AGI for NSF on February 2, 1970. A letter from J. R. Jackson, AGI was read which urged scientists to make careful and prompt response to this request.

A call by the Chair for informal communications brought Ellis Yochelson, Chairman of the Communications Committee to the podium. Two blank and somewhat hairy slides along with Yochelson's urgent plea from half bent knee indicated the need for talks of this type.

The regular meeting followed after a reminder by the Chair to the speakers that a two-minute warning to end papers would be given by the Secretary's return to the podium.

Odette B. James, USGS—Petrology of unshocked igneous and metamorphic lunar rocks—clearly showed with excellent photo­micrographs that plagioclase, pyroxene and ilmenite were the dominant rock-forming minerals found in Apollo 11 samples and that textures were ophitic, intersertal and hornfelsic. Comments by B. French, V. McKelvey, W. Herz.

Stephen E. Haggerty, Geophysical Laboratory—A reflection microscopy examination of the Apollo 11 lunar material—also with excellent photomicrographs described the distribution of Cr, Ti, and Fe in lunar samples as indicative of reducing conditions. Comment by N. Herz (for the second time).

E. C. T. Chao, J. A. Minkin, and J. A. Boreman, USGS— Shock features, glasses, and a new mineral from the Apollo 11 samples--graphically portrayed many "shocking" features of the lunar samples as seen in photomicrographs. Three stages of shock were noted from minor fracturing of minerals to complete formation of glass and devitrification, as well, at the other extreme. Comments by Boyd, Guild, Birn, McKelvey, Tanner, Zen, Harbour, Brokaw, Herz (third time) and Oden.

The President thanked the speakers for their highly success­ful "Symposium on the Rocks from the Sea of Tranquility."

The meeting adjourned at 9:23 p.m. Attendence: 183.

William D. Carter

Acting Meetings Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

January 28, 1970

The 928th meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell auditorium, January 28th, 1970, at 8:00 p.m., with President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. presiding.  The minutes of the 927th meeting were read, corrected (trivially) and approved.

The President announced that efforts were being made to organize a Regional Section of the AAPG in the Eastern United States.  Those interested were invited to participate in an informal meeting to be held on February 11th, 1970, at the conclusion of the next GSW meeting.  Further informa­tion can be obtained from Ralph Miller or George Cohee.

No one was willing to admit to being a visitor.

The Chair then called for a vote on the amendment to Article V of the Bylaws of the Society, previously proposed by Dutro, Cohee and Berdan, which would delete Item 10: the required reading of the rough minutes of the Annual Meeting. The amendment was approved by an overwhelming majority, much to the relief of the Secretary, who was forthwith commanded to expunge the offending item.

Two informal communications were presented.  Roy Clarke, U. S. National Museum, discussed the Prairie Network, a Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory project to obtain orbital data and recovery of meteorites. Recovery of the Lost City meteorite was described. Mike Duke, U.S.G.S., described the results of atmorpheric particle collection following the Lost City meteorite fall.

The regular meeting followed:

Joshua I. Tracey, Jr., U.S.G.S. - "Stratigraphic section across the central equatorial Pacific: Leg 8, Glomar Challenger"; a brief visit to the South Seas with interesting comparisons of marine stratigraphy as revealed by deep-sea drilling and whale abundance data. Discussed by Frank Whitmore, Charles Warren, V. E. McKelvey, Dallas Peck, Dave Doane, Mackenzie Gordon, and E-an Zen.

Donald R. Mullineaux, U.S.G.S., Denver - "Volcanic hazards at Mount Rainier, Washington, and Lassen Peak, California"; a spectacular description of volcanic disasters of the recent past, designed to curb complacency in casual Cascade campers. Discussed by nameless questioner No. 1, Don Peterson, and Lloyd Henbest.

M. Gordon Wolman, Johns Hopkins University - "Erosional processes in a small drainage basin in the Maryland Piedmont"; an unusually quantitative microcosmic study which answered the question: Why are graduate students not allowed to come in out of the rain? Discussed by Frank Whitmore, nameless questioner No. 2, Charles Denney, Dave Stewart and Bob Alexander.

The meeting adjourned at 9:59 p.m. Attendance: 155

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

February 11, 1970

The 929th meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell auditorium, February 11, 1970, at 8:03 P.M., with President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. in the Chair.  The minutes of the 928th meeting were read, corrected and approved. The Secretary announced that the Council of the Society, on February 10, 1970, had elected the following persons to membership:

Douglas Rumble, Geophysical Laboratory; Peter Blau, A.G.I.; George F. Pinder, Albert E. Roberts, Richard C. Fuhrman, and Richard Goldsmith, U.S.G.S., all of Washington, D. C.  The Secretary also announced a Caucus of, AAPG members to take place after the meeting to discuss the proposed formation of an Eastern Section.

The following guests were introduced: Russel Dorr, introduced by Jack Dorr; Thorndyke Saville and Mike Field of the CERC, introduced by Cyril Galvin; and Ian Campbell, a member who reminded the Chair, who introduced him, that he was in fact no longer State Geologist of California.

A memorial tribute to the late G. William Holmes was read by Eugene Robertson. The memorial included the playing of one of Bill's best-remembered Pick and Hammer Show songs.

The informal communication of the evening was presented by Charles Milton, of George Washington University, on the origin of "pseudo-lunar" spherules in beach sands on the Chesapeake Bay. Keen detective work revealed that they came from the fly ash of a power station. Discussed by Sommer and Peggy Appleman.

The regular meeting consisted of three papers dealing with various aspects of barrier islands off the East Coast of the United States.

Cyril J. Galvin, CERC - "Barrier island offset at inlets." The speaker was complimented by the Chair on his unusual ability to use the subsequent speaker's slides. Discussed by Jack Dorr, Murray Felscher and Doug Kinney.

J. W. Pierce, NMNH, and D. J. Colquhoun, University of South Carolina - "Evolution of barrier islands," delivered by Pierce.  Discussed by Galvin, Richard Sheldon, Frank Whitmore, Ralph Miller and Sam Altschuler.

Robert L. Mairs, NAVOCEANO - "Oceanographic and sedimentologic interpretation of Apollo IX space photography," dealing with photographs of the barrier islands.  Discussed by Felscher, Galvin, Pierce, Dorr, Lloyd, Henbest, Kinney and Stanley.

The meeting adjourned at 9:51 P.M. Attendance: 94

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

February 25, 1970

The 930th meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell auditorium on February 25, 1970.  President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. called the meeting to order at 8:07 P.M. Two U.S.G.S.-type visitors were introduced by John Hack: Wally Hanson from Denver, and John Sims from the Kentucky project. The minutes of the 929th meeting were read and approved, after which the Secretary, seconded by the Chair, made a not very impassioned plea for volunteers to serve on the Pick and Hammer Writing Committee.

Program Chairman Ellis Yochelson presented the Chair with a new illuminated pointer for the use of speakers.  The bold arrow of light which it threw onto the screen was clearly visible from the first two or even three rows, after no more than 30 seconds of searching.  Yochelson then introduced Robert Sikora, winner of seven commendations for his Science project on a re­gressive cycle of the sea in the Chesapeake Bay region.

The Chair introduced the regular program, which consisted of four talks by members of the Maryland Geological Survey describing a sample of the broad range of activities which that organization performs. Director Kenneth Weaver began with a discussion of "The Maryland Survey: progress, problems and prophecy," stressing the fashionably environmental orientation of much of the work.  Discussed by Charles Denny.  Emery Cleaves spoke on "Geochemical balance of a small watershed." Discussion was by Feininger, Hanshaw, Holland, Robertson, and Altschuler. Harry Hansen talked on "Subsurface stratigraphy of the Maryland Coastal Plain: a basis for the ‘zoning’ approach to ground water management" - a subject with a high degree of relevance to those who drink (water).  Discussed by Brown and Davis. William Crowley closed the program with "Crystalline rocks around Balti­more: new interpretations in a classic region." In response to the printed program's reference to a "class region," the icono­clastic Crowley averred his conviction that as regions go, Baltimore was distinctly low class, ranking somewhere between Peoria, Ill., and East Montclair, N. J.; however, the rocks were in his opinion truly classic, indeed, worthy of' being named after a lofty government personage. Discussion by Tom Thayer.

The meeting adjourned at.9:38 P.M  Attendance 90.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

March 11, 1970

The 931st meeting of the Society war, held in the John Wesley Powell auditorium on March 11, 1970.  President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. opened the meeting at 8:03 P.M.  A visitor, Dr. Kazuaki Nakamura, Earthquake Research Institute of the University of Tokyo, was introduced by Dick Fiske.  The minutes of the 930th meeting were read and approved, and the Secretary announced the, election of the following new members:

John H. Fergus, Jr., AFTAC/VELA Seismological Center, Alexandria, Virginia

Lester J. Steenblock, Jr., Naval Scientific and Intelligence Center, Suitland, Maryland

Dr. Gordon Everett and John Horton, Dept. of the Interior, Washington

John Maddox, editor of Nature Magazine, temporarily in Washington

George H. Chase and Jonathan P. Glasby, U. S. Geological Survey, Washington

Prof. Walter Elsasser, Physics Dept., University of Maryland

Karin L. Friis, Defense Dept., Arlington, Virginia

The Chair announced that Paul Keller, Walter Johnson High School, requests volunteers to serve on the Public Service Committee, of which he is chairman, helping with public school projects, science fairs and similar activities.  Guidelines for this type of activity have been furnished by the AAPG.

An informal communication by C. Ervin Brown concerned bulge structures in the Potsdam sandstone, the "new geologic wrinkles" of G. K. Gilbert.  The paper was discussed by John Brown.  Bill Newman then furnished the meeting with five minutes of blarney concerning the well-known stone of the same name.

The regular program mercifully followed.  Tomas Feininger, Smithsonian Institution, spoke on "Chemical weathering and glacial erosion of crystalline rocks and the origin of till. Discussion was by Toulmin (twice), Whitmore, Sato, Warren, Robertson, Rabchevsky, and the customary unnamed questioner.  Elizabeth R. King presented a paper, co-authored by Isidore Zietz, titled "The midcontinent gravity high; Keweenawan tectonics and a possible ancestral global rift system." The Secretary could not refrain from mentioning that her slides were clearly legible. Robertson, Hucker, Herz and unnamed questioner No. 1 discussed the paper. George Rabchevsky, Allied Research Associates, Inc., closed the meeting with a presentation of "Terrestrial features observed by the NIMBUS meteorological satellite," with questions from unidentified questioner No. 1, joined by unidentified questioner No. 2.

The meeting; adjourned at 9:57 P.M. Attendance:  80.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

March 25, 1970

The 932nd meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell auditorium on March 25, 1970.  President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. opened the meeting at 8:02 P.M.  No visitors, other than the speakers, were present.  The minutes of the 931st meeting were read and approved.

William E. Davis announced that the meeting of the Virginia Academy of Sciences would be held in Richmond on May 7th and 8th. He then gave an informal communication on an unusually large peridotite dike near Hagerstown, Md.  The paper was discussed by Hearn, who refuted the speaker's implication that the dike had been overlooked by the neighboring Johns Hopkins field camp.

The regular program followed. H.-U. Schmincke, Ruhr Univer­sity, Bochum:  "Composite and mixed lava and pyroclastic flows on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands," discussed by Roedder, Zen, Shaw, Roseboom, Fiske, and Simkin.

J. W. Head, III, Bellcom, Inc.:  "Scientific objectives of the Apollo 13 Lunar Landing Mission," discussed by Whitmore, Roedder, Flanagan, Rabchevsky, and Lampiris.

K. Nakamura, Univ. of Tokyo: "Surface faulting, landslide, and the    Matsushiro swarm earthquakes," discussed by Rabchevsky, Dorman, and Roedder.

The meeting adjourned at 9:40 P.M. Attendance: 110

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

April 8, 1970

The 933rd meeting of the Society was called to order by Vice President Eugene Roseboom at 8:06 P.M., April 8, 1970, in the John Wesley Powell auditorium. Two visitors were present: Donald Hull, University of Nevada, and Lloyd Breslau, U. S. Coast Guard.  The minutes of the 932nd meeting were read and approved, and the Secre­tary announced that John F. Windolph, Jr., U.S.G.S., Emory Eldredge, AG.I., and Bruce R. Doe, temporarily at NASA, had been elected to membership in the Society.

Public Service Committee Chairman Paul Keller asked for volun­teers to help in judging local Science Fairs.  The regular meeting followed, styled "Pennsylvania Geological Survey Night."

Arthur A. Socolow, Director of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, spoke on "The Pennsylvania Survey: a program of geology serving people." Discussion was by Kohout, McKelvey, Guild and Chase. After this general paper, Donald M. Hoskins presented a paper on "Structural features in the Valley and Ridge Province" which was rebutted by Gordon Wood using the speaker's own slides. It was suggested that a good, modern superhighway run over the disputed outcrops might be the solution.

Samuel I. Root then gave a paper titled "Tectonics along the Great Valley" which was discussed by Guild, Zen and Platt.  Lastly, William D. Sevon spoke on "New geologic concepts for Northeastern Pennsylvania," commented upon by Klement.

The Chair eventually adjourned the meeting at 10:20 P.M.    Attendance: 120.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY’S REPORT

April 29, 1970

The 934th meeting of the Geological Society of Washington was held on April 29, 1970 in the John Wesley Powell auditorium.  President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. called the meeting to order at 8:02 PM.  There were no visitors present.

The minutes of the 933rd meeting or read an approved.  As there were no informal communications, the regular program followed.  Nicholas Lampiris, US Geological Survey, spoke on "Paleoenvironments of the Bloomsbury age rocks, Virginia and West Virginia."  William Davies, US Geological Survey, spoke on "Engineering geology of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Maryland."  Finally, Don Swanson, US Geological Survey, Hawaii, gave a résumé of the four East Rift eruptions at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, August 1968 to March 1970, and then showed a highly spectacular motion picture on "The 1969-1970 East Rift eruption: the first eight months."

The meeting adjourned at 9:37 PM.  Attendance: 125.

Daniel B. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY’S REPORT

May 13, 1970

The 935th meeting of the Geological Society of Washington was held in the John Wesley Powell auditorium on May 13, 1970.  The meeting was called to order at 8:03 PM by President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr.  There were no visitors present except for the speaker.

The minutes of the 934th meeting room in an approved.  The secretary announced the following people have been elected to membership in the society: Michael E. Taylor, P. and S. Branch, USGS, Washington; Michael E. Field, Geology Branch, Coastal Engineering Research Center, Washington; and S. Benedict Levin, Earth Satellite Corp, Washington.

E-an Zen presented an informal communication on metamorphism of the Johnstown volcanics in Pennsylvania.  The paper was discussed by Christina Zen, Charles Milton and Robert Newman.

The regular meeting followed.  It consisted of a single talk, entitled "Hayden and Dawes; Hague and Vest -- geologists and politicians in Yellowstone National Park" by Richard A. Bartlett, Department of History, Florida State University.  The picture painted by Prof. Bartlett was not without its contemporary parallels in the current politico-conservative scene, and was of additional interest in its concern with some of the founders of this organization.  Questions were asked by Doug Kinney, M. King Hubbard and Lloyd Henbest.

The meeting adjourned at 9:38 PM.  Attendance: 75.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

October 14, 1970

The 936th meeting of the Geological Society of Washington took place in the John Wesley Powell auditorium on October 14, 1970. President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. called the meeting to order at 8:00 P.M. and announced the deaths of three members of the Society: J. Frank Schairer, Garn A. Rynearson, and Siemon W. Muller.  There were no guests present.

The minutes of the 935th meeting were read and approved.  The Secretary reported that the Council had elected the following new members: John D. Bremsteller, Houston, Texas; Dean Kleinkopf, U.S.G.S., Washington, D. C., and Frank D. Holland, Jr., A.G.I., Washington, D. C.  The Secretary also announced that the First International Meeting of the Association of Engineering Geologists would be held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington October 20 to October 24, 1970.

Since there were no informal communications, the regular program began immediately with a paper titled "Correlation of uranium, thorium and potassium with aeroradioactivity over a high thorium pluton in the Berea area, Salem Church quadrangle, Common­wealth of Virginia" by Sherman K. Neuschel, U. S. Geological Survey, Discussion by Whitmore, Hatch, Emery, Peck and Gabelman centered on the thickness of sediment required to blanket the effect.

The second paper, by Martin F. Kane, U. S. Geological Survey, was on "Gravity studies in New England."  It was discussed by Whitmore, Rabchevsky and Zietz.

The third and final paper of the evening, "Magnetic anomalies from satellite magnetometer," by Isidore Zietz and Gordon E. Andreasen, U. S. Geological Survey, and J. C. Cain, NASA, was pre­sented by Zietz and discussed principally by Rabchevsky, mostly with respect to the methods used to get from the data for many successive orbits of the satellite to the single map shown by the speaker.

The meeting adjourned at 9:36 P.M. Attendance: 60.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

November 17, 1970

The 937th meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell Auditorium on October 28, 1970.  The meeting was called to order at 8:02 P.M. by President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr., and the following visitors were introduced: Bob Davis, U.S.G.S., Denver; Don Tatlock, U.S.G.S., Menlo Park, and David Budge, University of California.  The minutes of the 936th meeting were read and approved. There were no informal communications.  The regular program, which was entirely devoted to topographic mapping, was introduced with a few gracious remarks by President Whitmore, who pointed out that this activity had occupied about a third of the resources of the Geological Survey from the very beginnings of that organization.  The first speaker, R. B. Southard, Associate Chief Topographic Engineer, U.S. Geological Survey, outlined the program of the Topographic Division, assisted by slides brilliantly projected by the second speaker, M. M. Thompson, Assistant Chief Topographic Engineer.  There followed a brief crossing of swords with Dave Stewart, a question by Yochelson who answered it himself, a question as to the progress of the orthophotomapping program by McKelvey to which the speaker replied "it is past the embryonic stage but not yet to conception" - a curious concept - and miscellaneous remarks by Kleinkopf and Tatlock.

The second speaker discussed new techniques, ably assisted by the first speaker as projectionist.  The third speaker, M. B. Scher, Coordinator for Federal Mapping, outlined procedures for cooperation between various Federal mapping agencies - he used no slides at all. The evening was a financial success as the Society was spared the cost of a projectionist.  The meeting adjourned at 9:42 P.M. Attendance: 48.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

November 18, 1970

The 938th meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell Auditorium on November 18, 1970, with Vice-President Eugene Roseboom presiding.  The meeting was called to order at 8:05 p.m., and the minutes of the 937th meeting were read, corrected and approved.  The Secretary announced that the following had been elected to membership in the Society: Douglas Smith, Donald M. Burt and John S. Dickey, Geophysical Laboratory, Washington; S. Jeff Williams, Coastal Engineering Research Center, Washington; and Marjorie V. Jones, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington.

The following visitors were introduced: A. E. Bence, of the State University of New York, Stony Brook, by Ben Morgan; and James Belz, from Tuscon, Arizona, by Leo Heindl.

Allen deWall, of the Coastal Engineering Research Center, pre­sented a short informal communication on the use of jetting to drive pipe markers into beaches.  The regular program began with a paper by Douglas Smith, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, entitled "Conversion of Sedimentary Rock to Granophyre at Sierra Ancha, Arizona: One End-Member Example of Granite-Forming Processes."

The second paper, by Richard H. Benson, Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, was on "Deep-Sea Ostracods and the Death of the Tethys Ocean".  The paper was discussed by Wendell Woodring.  The final paper, "Sand Size Distribution Along and Across Three New Jersey Beaches", was given by Michael D. Ramsey, of the Coastal Engineering Research Center.  Vice-President Roseboom brought the meeting to a triumphant conclusion at 9:45 p.m.

Attendance: 93.

Daniel E, Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

December 9, 1970.

The 939th meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell Auditorium on December 9, 1970.  First Vice-President Eugene Roseboom called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m.  The minutes of the 938th meeting were read, but approval was delayed at the insis­tence of Wendell Woodring, who demanded that the minutes record the fact that he had questioned one of the speakers.  The correction was duly agreed to by the soon-to-be-lame-duck Secretary and approval was secured.

The Secretary announced that the following new members were elected at the Council Meeting, Dec. 9, 1970: Mrs. Anna Mae Orellana, Mrs. Helen P. Withers, Jane M. Graham and Joseph J. Kohut, U.S. Geol­ogical Survey, Washington, D. C.; John Gurney, University of Cape Town, South Africa, a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Institu­tion; Bruce M. Hall, Advanced Technology Branch, Dept. of the Army; and Sgt. James Hedges, U.S.M.C., Washington (a reinstatement).

The Chair then called for the introduction of visitors.  Lew Shapiro, South Dakota School of Mines, was introduced by Carter; and Dr. Robert Lindsay, Colgate University, with seven anonymous students, were introduced by Yochelson.

As the high point of the evening approached, tension mounted while Vice-President Roseboom introduced the featured (and only) speaker- President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr., to give his long-awaited Presidential Address on "The Whale!"  This thoroughly fascinating ramble through the order Cetacea was summed up in a moment of anti­climax by a faceless geochemist as "-much more about whales than I ever thought I could happily sit through!"

The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m. to prepare the inner man for the annual meeting to follow.  A record-breaking crowd of 219 attended.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON SECRETARY'S REPORT

78th Annual Meeting, Dec. 9, 1970

The 78th Annual Meeting of the Society was held in the John Wesley Powell Auditorium on Wednesday, December 9; 1970. President Frank C. Whitmore, Jr., began the festivities at 9:15 PM by reciting the abstract to the Presidential Address in cetaceous verse form - "The Whale", by G.D. Robinson. Having thus softened up the audience for the rigors to fol­low, he ordered Meetings Secretary Appleman to read the Minutes of the 77th Annual Meeting, which were duly approved. The Annual Report of the Secretar­ies was also read by Secretary Appleman.

The Treasurer's Report as of December 9, 1970, was presented by Treasurer Wilna Wright. Total receipts from all sources for 1970; plus the cash balance of $124.99, add up to $3,814.99; total 1970 expenditures were $3,668.69; the net cash balance on December 9 was $146.30.  The Endowment Fund stood at $3,072.8l, so the total net assets were $3,219.11, a net increase of $168.54 over 1969. The Chair called for a vote of thanks to retiring Treasurer Wilna Wright for the fine job she had done as Treasurer of GSW since 1968, and the audience responded with a vigorous round of applause.

George Cohee, Chairman of the Auditing Committee, reported that he and Bob Bates had examined the Treasurer's books and records and found them to be correct and in order in every detail. He also expressed the Society's gratitude for the fine job Wilna Wright had done.

The Public Service Committee and Finance Committee reports were not given, but the ad hoc Committee on Field Trips reported, via Bill Melson, that a successful Field Trip to the South Mountain area had been held, pri­marily for area school teachers; and that more trips were planned for the coming year.

In the absence of Chairman Gil Corwin, the report of the Best Paper Awards Committee was read by Secretary Appleman. The Great Dane Award, for the best informal communication of the year, was presented to C. Ervin Brown for his brief talk "Buckle Structures in the Potsdam Sandstone – A new Geologic Wrinkle". First Prize winner for the best scheduled paper was Tomas Feininger, for his talk "Chemical Weathering and Glacial Erosion of  Crystalline Rocks and the Origin of Till" -- which the Committee felt was controversial and stimulating.  Second Prize winner was Don Mullineaux for his beautifully illustrated presentation on 'Volcanic Hazards at Mount Rainier, Washington and Lassen Peak, California".

When the Secretary had finally retired from the podium, the Chair introduced the "anonymous" Chairman of the Sleeping Bear Award Committee, who turned out to be -- of all people -- E-an Zen. Bolstered - if that is the right word - by his cohorts Dave Harwood and Herb Shaw, Zen fearlessly exposed such eminent colleagues as Rupe Southard ("It's gone past the embryonic stage, but it's not yet conceived") and Gene Roseboom, who referred to the cumulative size distribution curve of a New Jersey beach sand as "a mean sum of a beach". Masterfully underplaying his hand, Zen actually had Roseboom halfway to his feet to accept the award, at which point Zen presented it to Ellis Yochelson.  Program Chairman Yochelson, in an informal communication, had shown two blank slides (the second upside down), and then announced that you didn't have to have more than that to say in order to give an informal communication to the Society.

As the riotous laughter subsided, the Chair proceeded to the election of officers and councilors of the Society. Always quick off the mark, Rankin moved that the nominations be closed, and the slate proposed by the Nominating Committee was unanimously elected. The President introduced the new officers to the Society, and thanked the Council, the Program Chairman, and especially Wilna Wright for all of their efforts. The ceremony conclud­ed with the customary transfer of gavels, and the meeting adjourned at 10:07 PM. Attendance was 219.

Daniel E. Appleman

Secretary