Chips from the Quarry
M.E.H.
BEST PAPER AWARD: The Friends of Mineralogy (FM) named Ed Raines winner of the Best Paper in Rocks & Minerals Award for 2000 for his two-part article “The Mineralogy, Geology, and Mining History of the Telluride District, San Miguel County, Colorado.” Part 1, “A Historical Overview of the District and the Smuggler Union and Associated Mines and Veins of Marshall Basin,” was in the September/October issue (pages 318-342); part 2, “Other Mines and Veins of Marshall Basin and the Mines and Veins of Coronet, Savage, and Ingram Basins,” was in the November/December issue (pages 378-401). This marks the second time Ed has been so honored. In 1998 he won the award for his two-part article “Colorado Gold.”
The announcement was made in February at the annual FM board meeting in Tucson, and the award was presented during the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show’s Saturday evening program.
In addition to the Award of Merit given to the author, the magazine received a grant of $200 in his name. We extend congratulations to Ed and thanks to FM for this annual recognition.
2000 CARNEGIE AWARD PRESENTED: Dr. F. John Barlow of Appleton, Wisconsin, was the recipient of the Carnegie Mineralogical Award for 2000. The award was presented at a ceremony held 10 February at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Ill health prevented John from being there, so at his request, Joel Bartsch, of the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, accepted the award on his behalf.
An award of international renown, the Carnegie Mineralogical Award honors outstanding contributions in mineralogical preservation, conservation, and education that match ideals advanced in the museum’s Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems. The award, established in 1987 by the museum and underwritten annually by the Hillman Foundation, consists of a bronze medallion, a certificate of recognition, and a $2,500 cash prize.
Over a thirty-year period John assembled one of the premier private mineral collections in the world. Unusually comprehensive, it included not only common minerals and gemstones but also fine examples of rare species. However, he wasn’t chosen strictly in recognition of his collecting history; he has actively promoted an appreciation of minerals to a broad segment of society. He established an endowed teaching position at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and was a major benefactor to Appleton’s Children’s Museum, the primary donor in establishing the F. John Barlow Planetarium on the University of Wisconsin–Fox Valley campus, and a major donor to the Weis Earth Sciences Museum, also on the Fox Valley campus.
John was instrumental in developing Seatec Foundation, a tax-exempt entity that is playing a crucial role in efforts to obtain funding necessary to move the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum to a more visible location and allow for the development of a number of new educational exhibits. The book The F. John Barlow Mineral Collection, which he published, has set the standard for books about fine mineral collections.
The Carnegie Mineralogical Award is not the first honor bestowed on John. In 1994, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Wisconsin. And in 2000, Michigan Technological University presented him with two awards for his many years of distinguished service to the school and for his continued promotion of mineral collecting, mineral museums, and mineral education.
John generously asked that the $2,500 award check be made payable to the Rocks & Minerals color fund.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2001 award. Private mineral enthusiasts and collectors, educators, curators, mineral clubs and societies, museums, universities, and publications are eligible. For a nomination form, contact Marc L. Wilson, Section of Minerals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080; phone, 412/622-3391; fax, 412/622-8837.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR NAMED: We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. John Rakovan of Oxford, Ohio, as one of the three executive editors of Rocks & Minerals. John, an assistant professor of mineralogy at Miami University, is an associate editor of the American Mineralogist and an active member of the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA), serving on several committees and as an MSA representative at the Tucson Show. He is also a popular author and lecturer. His field-collecting experience dates back to when he was a youngster, and he has had a personal collection since he was five years old. Readers of Rocks & Minerals will recall that he was one of the discoverers of the Hopkinton, Rhode Island, amethyst locality (see article by John, Bill Metropolis, and Sal Avella in the September/October 1986 Rhode Island issue). We are honored to have John on our staff and welcome the opportunity to work with him in selecting articles for publication and in setting policies that will better serve our readers.
He replaces Dr. Robert I. Gait, who very ably filled the position of executive editor for more than twenty years and whose retirement as an editor and columnist was announced in the magazine last year.
WHAT A SIGHT: The Maine Geological Survey has a Web site you might want to check out, especially if you’ll be vacationing in the state this summer. You’ll find it at www.state.me.us/doc/ nrimc/mgs/mgs.htm. From here you can easily navigate to other parts of the site that have information on such topics as minerals, bedrock geology, and publications. The mineral pages feature a photo gallery and lists of Maine mineral clubs, upcoming, shows, and exhibits open to the public. This is also a good place to get advance information on the Maine Mineral Symposium, held every May in Augusta.
Another attraction is the Geologic Site of the Month, which includes an archive of all previous monthly sites, covering subjects from meteorites to ocean beaches. Starting this year, the Education pages have a section with online field trips for teachers, students, and anyone else wanting to learn about Maine geology. The first trip is an in-depth look at the geology and minerals of Mount Apatite Park in Auburn.
COLOR CREDITS: There are many people and groups to thank for Underwriting color costs in this issue. Contributing to the Upper Michigan article were Shawn M. Carlson, Lance T. Hampel, Tom Rosemeyer, the Copper Country Rock and Mineral Club (in Calumet), Robert Stoufer, and the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum Society. Funding for the Connoisseur’s Choice column came from the Cincinnati Mineral Society and the Mineral Section of the Houston Gem and Mineral Society.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Heldref Publications
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group