Acceptance of the Society of Economic Geologists Silver Medal for 2002

Abstract

President Price, members, and friends: It was with some astonishment and a good deal of pride that I received the news of my selection as the latest recipient of the Society’s prestigious Silver Medal. The astonishment grew when, like most medal awardees, I scanned the list of previous recipients and wondered why a practicing field geologist was being added to a list of some of the world’s most renowned university and government geoscientists. And the astonishment grew still further when I read that the award was for mid-career achievement. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation revealed that meant I’d be doing fieldwork until the ripe old age of 95. I’d love to be able to say I could do it, but have to assume that the Medals’ Committee knows more than I do about future developments in medical science. On occasions such as this, it seems one is expected to reminisce briefly about one’s career to date—difficult in my …