Prof. Dr. Gerald M. Friedman

NATIONAL HONORARY SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY DEVOTED TO THE EARTH SCIENCES, President 1982-1986

The journal of the society is the Compass. The beginning of the constitution and bylaws of the society are as follows (Sigma Gamma Epsilon 2005):

“A National Honorary Society for the Earth Sciences
(Founded March 30, 1915 at The University of Kansas)”

“Preamble
Whereas, the members of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, believing that students of the Earth Sciences should be associated for the better accomplishments of the aims of these kindred sciences, do adopt the following Constitution:”

“Article I:
Name and Object
Sec. 1. The name of this organization shall be THE SOCIETY OF SIGMA GAMMA EPSILON (hereinafter referred to as the Society).”
“Sec. 2. The Society shall have for its objectives the scholastic and scientific advancement of its members and the extension of the relations of friendship and assistance among colleges, universities, and scientific schools (hereinafter referred to as school or schools) with recognized standing which are devoted to the advancement of the Earth Sciences. Furthermore, the Society shall encourage research and publication – both at the undergraduate and graduate level.”
“Sec. 3. Membership in the Society of Sigma Gamma Epsilon is intended for those scientists and students whose primary concern is the study of the earth. It shall be the policy of the Society to impose no restriction on membership on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin.” (etc.)

Tribute to my students and coscientists: the Rensselaer Sedimentology Program 1964-1984: Address of the Retiring President of Sigma Gamma Epsilon (Friedman 1987)

Excerpts from my Presidential Address (Friedman 1987) of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, the Honorary Earth Sciences Society for students: It is fitting that an address of the president of this society concern students is herewith provided. “This address reviews the accomplishments of my former students who are now alumni of the Rensselaer Sedimentology Program which served Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) between the years 1964 and 1984.

This paper relates to my masters and PhD Students and to my postgraduate and postdoctoral coscientists, a total of 39 masters, 29 PhDs and 15 post-graduates and postdoctoral fellows (completed by 1984). These hailed from all parts of the USA as well as from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Israel, Korea, and Turkey. All foreign students have returned to their home countries, where they now are active. Our students put the modern RPI geology program on the map.

My graduate students and postgraduate and postdoctoral fellows were a hardworking, inspiring, and committed bunch of young people who shared my enthusiasm for the science of sedimentology and who kept me on my toes. Some of them related to me that I was a good teacher – but what makes a good teacher? The answer is that good students make a good teacher, and I was fortunate that during my twenty years at Rensselaer I always had good students. Their professional accomplishments since leaving graduate school is proof that they were indeed good. I feel privileged to have had a crucial role in helping prepare them for their careers.

Part of our program involved get-togethers in our home, where students and their guests had social contact, where we talked about other than strictly academic matters, and where we could relax and visit without pressure. Commonly, we viewed slides of field excursions to geological sites around the world. My wife Sue prepared refreshments. Usually at least once per semester individual students and postdoctoral fellows came for a meal and a private visit. Sue and I attended students’ weddings and visited their homes. I served as godfather, Sue organized showers for graduate students’ wives, and we attended ceremonies of their children. On the sad side, three of my former students died.

One of the students who was only in part a member of the Rensselaer Sedimentology Program was Naresh Kumar (PhD Columbia University 1972). Naresh, who hailed from India, came to Columbia University to study under Bruce C. Heezen (1924-1977). At that time the existing dispute between Heezen and Maurice Ewing (1906-1974) was at its climax. Naresh was assured that he would not be granted a PhD degree as long as he remained with Heezen. Charles (Chuck) L. Drake who was departmental chairman asked me to join Columbia’s faculty on a part-time basis to supervise PhD students. I agreed on one student only. Several days later I received a certificate of appointment from Columbia University. Naresh became my field assistant on our offshore program on the continental shelf of the western Atlantic Ocean and on Long Island Sound, one of the bays of the western Atlantic. He came to Troy from Columbia University for his laboratory work usually in mid-winter. Hailing from India he was averse to cold weather. On one occasion he arrived during a cold spell at -25ºF - a temperature which my colleague John E. Sanders (1926-1999) and I dubbed “Naresh weather”. Later when John Sanders joined the faculty of Columbia University, Naresh became his concern. Naresh was president of Columbia University’s Indian Club and he once invited Sue and me to a special evening program. Sue and I were the only non -Indians in the audience, but our seats were the best in the house. When Naresh completed his study he wanted to return to India. I negotiated for him on my visit to India with the Director of the National Oil and Gas Commission in Dhera Dun, Northern India, a position for him as Head of Offshore Programs. Ultimately however, Naresh stayed on in the U.S.

One of my functions included helping students to locate jobs, writing letters of recommendation, and providing funding for research. In retrospect perhaps the actual teaching function was small in comparison with everything else. The time required, however, to spend with my graduate students was so consuming that some of my children became jealous of them.

As an advisor I admonished students that it takes as long or almost as long to write up a project, such as a thesis or a paper for publication, as it does to do the work. I recall that when Eli Gavish (1937-1981) had almost finished his PhD project he confided that in 3 months he will leave for his home country because all that was left for him to do was “to write up my thesis”. I told him to allow 9 months. He did not believe me. At any rate 3 months later his pregnant wife left for his home country and Eli stayed behind another 6 months to complete his thesis and write a paper based on this thesis for the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology. Meanwhile his baby was born and even his mother-in-law phoned from Israel to enquire when Eli will be “released”. After all he had meanwhile become a father to a baby he had not seen. For Eli and his family these were trying times; others of my students shared comparable experiences. However, when Eli’s paper was published it drew worldwide acclaim and was a candidate for the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology’s “Outstanding Paper Award”. Because of its scientific impact the SEPM republished the paper in its reprint volume and according to Science Citation Index this paper was among the most widely quoted publications in the field of carbonate diagenesis. The Geological Society of Israel awarded him the Grader Prize for this study. This little tale shows the importance for allowing ample time for writing.

In the late 1960s jobs were scarce, and David Haglund was about to complete his thesis. On one of my field trips with students to study modern carbonate environments in the Bahamas and southern Florida I arranged for Robert J. Dunham of Shell Oil Company to meet us at his house in Florida and present a seminar on modern carbonate facies. Dunham needed an assistant and co-scientist to work with him on a carbonate-diagenesis project. I recommended to Dunham to hire Haglund, and Dunham followed my advice. Today Haglund is exploration manager for Shell Oil Company.

By the mid-1970s positions were scarce. Brian D. Keith was near completion of his thesis, but during the final summer spent his time unsuccessfully searching for positions rather than writing up his research. At that time my former colleague and boss William Walton was research director at Amoco Production Corporation. When Walton came to see me in the Fall Semester I recommended him to hire Keith for the Research Laboratories of Amoco. Walton followed my advice. The research position was ideal for Keith.

Salvatore J. Mazullo joined Texaco Research, but one day saw the door open, and wanted to get out. As it happened on the day that he called, a colleague from one of the campuses of the University of Texas phoned me for a recommendation of a suitable candidate for a position. Mazzulo promptly joined the University of Texas Campus.

Field studies of students outside the United States included the Georgina Basin of Australia, Sergipe-Alagoa Basin of Brazil, the northern gulfs of the Red Sea (Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Elat or Aqaba), the Dead Sea, northern Israel, Mediterranean coasts of Israel and Sicily, Italy, the Bahamas, coast and interior of the Dominican Republic, Turkey, islands in the western Pacific Ocean, the continental shelf of the western Atlantic Ocean, and the straits between Greenland, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago up to 700 miles south of the North Pole. In the United States the basins studied included the northern and southern Appalachians, Williston Basin, Paradox Basin, Gulf Coast Basin, and Michigan Basin” (Friedman 1987).

RETIREMENT FROM RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE 1984

In 1984-1985 I served as President of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Honorary Earth Sciences Society and as Vice President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), the world’s largest geological society with its highest membership ever of between 43,000 and 44,000 members. I was working extremely hard for these honorary societies and my position as professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, especially with my graduate students and postdocs. Part of the time I was on my sabbatical leave at the University.

1984-1986 were busy years. In addition to my offices as President of Sigma Gamma Epsilon and Vice President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (the world’s largest geological society) I received notification of important awards. The Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM) awarded me Honorary Membership, the International Association of Sedimentologists notified me of the same award, and Sigma Gamma Epsilon likewise awarded me Honorary Membership (its 14th Honorary Membership Award in the approximately 90-year history of the Society). The University of Heidelberg, Germany’s most prestigious university presented me with Doctor Honoris Causa (Honorary doctorate). This award is given in the Earth Sciences only once every 50 years. Previous recipients were R.A. Daly (1871-1957), Harvard University 1936, John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) 1886, explorer of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, and Director of the United States Geological Survey 1880-1894.

The storm of mail that arrived at my desk was enormous and needed my attention. I had just returned from overseas and my wife Sue usually worked on my current mail, while I was overseas. However, the chair sent her a note that she was not allowed in my office while I am traveling. Then, the chair left on a trip, but Sue could not enter my office to attend to the important mail. This whole episode was most embarrassing. I unfortunately, needed legal help to deal with it and paid for it, whereas the Rensselaer alumni paid for the chair’s legal help in this matter. In the end, my lawyers and the law won over his lawyers and the matter was resolved. However, the dissension, resentment, and harassment took its toll. The atmosphere in the department was changed. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Department of Geology had a faculty of ten prior to my retirement party, however only one faculty member showed up for my retirement party. The reason was obvious.

When I retired I spent full-time teaching short courses, writing textbooks, and conducting research. My short courses were much in demand, the student evaluations were outstanding, and my income was in six figures. The first edition of our textbook was singled-out by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Book for 1979 and the second edition was ready for press.

A worldwide problem accompanied my retirement. It is best expressed in my message in the journal Science (Friedman 1986):

The Dilemma of the Geoscientist

“In an editorial in 1978, I stressed the unlimited opportunities enjoyed by geoscientists. My rosy picture was an understatement. Between 1980 and 1983, in the wake of soaring oil prices, companies hired anyone with a college degree in geology at highly inflated salaries. As a result the geological profession expanded as never before. Oil company staffs became bloated because of the belief that large numbers of geoscientists were needed to keep pace with ever-expanding drilling activity and rising oil prices. In years past the geological community had prided itself on its dedicated, although ill-paid, scientists, but the boom forced salaries up to a level exceeding that of other scientists and engineers, except for petroleum engineers. As a result a new breed of scientists entered the profession: those primarily interested in high salaries.

Subsequently many thousands of geoscientists were out on the street, looking for work. With the collapse in oil prices, further uncertainties, and companies looking at next quarter’s balance sheet, announcements of “work force reductions” by petroleum companies became almost a daily event. Those hardest hit by cutbacks were in exploration and production.

The destruction of skilled teams of geologists and geophysicists became so rapid that years of rebuilding were necessary. Few young graduates entered the profession. Here lies a danger that goes beyond the geoscience community. Oil now costs less in real terms than it did in the early 1970s: The price of internationally traded coal and gas has likewise tumbled. Those who rejoice in this new era of cheap energy should remember that oil and gas are finite resources. The current apparent glut is a delusion. It is manipulated by members of the OPEC cartel. In this country, we suffer from a shortage of energy resources. If those abroad who manipulate this crisis pull the plug, we will return to square one – a situation similar to that when President Carter compared his program for energy independence to a declaration of war. If that happens the United States may be unable to rise to the challenge. Experienced geoscientists could be suffering the results of early retirement, and there will be few prospective graduates in the pipeline or young geoscientists in the ranks.

The mining industry is as depressed as the petroleum industry, and hiring freezes are the norm in government service. As the message of dwindling employment reaches students, undergraduate enrollment is dropping, which reduces employment opportunities in academic institutions. Yet real opportunities may be in store for those now entering the geoscience profession as beginning undergraduate students. When these students emerge with Master’s degrees, they will have no competition and their pick of jobs. As in the stock market, it is best to avoid the stampede.

One field of geoscience is bursting at its seams: hydrogeology and the related environmental geology. Because ground-water contamination, waste disposal, and similar problems require the formulation of regulations, there is much activity in these areas today. Despite a lack of experience in this specialty, petroleum geologists are switching to hydrogeology. Even graduates in geology without graduate training are being absorbed into this field. With the government involved in regulation, this field may become less cyclical.“ (Friedman 1986).