IN MEMORIAM: GEORGE A. SANDERSON, JR. (1926-2008)

Abstract

George Sanderson (with George Verville, background) collecting fusulines at the type Derryan (Pennsylvanian) section in Sierra County, New Mexico. Photo by G. P. Wahlman, 1983. George Albert Sanderson, Jr. was born August 22, 1926 in New Haven, Connecticut. He was raised by his mother and grandparents, who emigrated from Germany at the beginning of the 20th Century. “Sandy,” as he was known to friends and colleagues, attended New Haven High School and served in the U. S. Naval Reserve from 1944 to 1946. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1949, and received a doctorate in geology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1954. Sandy’s dissertation topic was “Studies of magnesium in foraminiferal tests,” conducted under the supervision of Professor M. L. Thompson, the dean of North American fusuline specialists. It was through his association with Thompson that Sandy developed an interest in fusulines, leading to employment as a micropaleontologist with Shell Oil Company (1954–1964) and then as a research micropaleontologist and Paleozoic Group supervisor at the Amoco Production Company Research Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from 1964 until his retirement in 1989. While supervisor in the late 1970’s, he oversaw the unprecedented expansion of Paleozoic specialists, melding together with good humor and some cajoling raw rookies, seasoned veterans and support staff into an effective research team. His mentoring skills extended beyond company staff to the greater micropaleontological community as an outside supervisor for fusuline dissertations, including an adjunct professorship at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Sandy made numerous contributions to the study of fusulines, especially in the areas of systematics and biostratigraphy. Perhaps his most …