There will be a session at the GSA annual meeting (Fall, 2003) in
Seattle focused on the contribution of Peace Corps geologists entitled:

Geologists in the US Peace Corps:
The Contribution of Peace Corps Geologists to International Development and
the Contribution of the Peace Corps Experience to the Development of
Geosciences in America."

The organizers of the session are trying to contact as many Peace Corps
geologists and those who have interacted with them. So I ask your help
in spreading the word.

The description of the session is at:
For Caribbean Tectonics Members:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carib/files/
and
Central America Geology Members:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cenamgeology/files/

cheers,

Rob Rogers

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: GSA Session on PC Geologists
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 18:47:10 -0800
From: Bob_Levich@...
To: m.kozuch@..., rrogers@...,
dstierm@...
CC: rfakundi@..., rssaunders@...,
casil49093@..., hastingsd@..., sarip6@..., gcoakley@...



---------------------- Forwarded by Bob Levich/YD/RWDOE on 01/28/2003 06:17
PM ---------------------------

Michael Kozuch, Wellington, New Zealand RPCV Geologist, Honduras, 1987-90)
Robert Rogers, Austin, Texas (RPCV Geologist, Austin, Honduras, 1989-92)
Donald Stierman, Toledo, Ohio (RPCV Geologist, Honduras, 1969-72)

We just came across your names on the internet, and noted that you all
served as PC geologists in Honduras. Several other RPCV geologists and I
have proposed a Technical Session for the upcoming GSA Annual Meeting in
Seattle in November. The topic for the Session is Public Policy and is far
broader than the specifics of doing geology in the Peace Corps. We have
located more than 50 RPCV geologists who we have contacted or are trying to
contact. You are the first geologists that we have located that served in
Latin America.

We have encountered great interest from almost all of the RPCVs we have
contacted, and one has promised to attend the meeting from his United
Nations post in Bangkok, Thailand. We hope that you will be able to attend
the GSA Annual Meeting and participate in the Technical Session. We also
intend to develop a social program in parallel with the technical program.
The topical session is Public Policy, and although it isn't aimed at
detailed technical papers, although we certainly welcome those. Please
read the attached E-mail that we wrote to several other RPCV geologists
concerning the GSA session.

We hope you will join us in Seattle.

Regards,

Bob Levich
RPCV Geologist, Ghana 1963-65

---------------------- Forwarded by Bob Levich/YD/RWDOE on 01/28/2003 09:34
AM ---------------------------


Bob Levich
01/22/2003 06:41 PM

To: richvaloenen@..., spmarsh@...,
robert_milhous@..., rampart109@..., jatamura@...,
mjford@..., FOTanzania@...,
candydennis@..., rw.myers@...,
michael.woodhouse@..., btluxner276@...,
phil@..., Milnes_P@...
cc: norrierobbins@..., nrobbins@..., casil49093@...,
rssaunders@..., gcoakley@..., sarip6@...,
rfakundi@..., dennisdelrod@..., hastingsd@...,
RMatthews@...
Subject: GSA Session on PC Geologists
User Filed as: Not Categorized in ERMS

Richard Van Loenen, Morrison, CO (RPCV, Tanzania, 1961-63)
Sherman P. Marsh, Lakewood, CO (RPCV, Jamaica, 1965-67)
Robert T. Milhous, Fort Collins, CO (RPCV, Tanzania, 1961-63)
Martin Horowitz, Houston, TX (RPCV, Cyprus, 1962-64)
Allen Tamura, The Woodlands, TX (RPCV, Tanzania, 1961-63)
Michael J. Ford, Ridgecrest, CA/Sparks, NV (RPCV, Burkina Faso, 1978-80)
Dennis Warner, Falls Church, VA (RPCV, Tanzania, 1964-66)
Roger Myers, Austin, TX (RPCV, Ghana, 1969-72)
Michael Woodhouse, Nunda, NY (RPCV, Ghana, 1962-64)
William Luxner, Carnegie, PA (RPCV, Ghana, 1963-65)
Phillip Burnette, Martinville, VA (RPCV, Ghana, 1963-65)
Henry Paul, Andrews, SC (RPCV, Ghana, 1963-65)
John Turnbull, Santa Fe, NM (RPCV, Ghana 1963-64/Malawi 1964-65)
Eric Mustonen, San Diego, CA (RPCV, Ghana, 1967-69)
Peter Milnes, Leesberg, VA (RPCV, Ghana, 1977-79)

Each of you is a geologist who served in the US Peace Corps. I was
provided your names and addresses by other RPCV geologists, or found them
in the recent edition of the Peace Corps Directory. Some of you are old
friends who I served with as a PC geologist in Ghana (1963-65), or when I
was under contract to the Ghana Geological Survey (1969-72). Currently, I
am a geologist with the US Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain Project in
Las Vegas, NV.

Enclosed as a Word File (or as a hard copy for those of you without E-mail)
is a Proposal for a Geological Society of America (GSA) Technical Session
that I submitted last week, entitled: "Geologists in the US Peace Corps:
The Contribution of Peace Corps Geologists to International Development and
the Contribution of the Peace Corps Experience to the Development of
Geosciences in America."

Before it was submitted, the proposal was reviewed by other RPCV geologists
. The proposed technical session is for the GSA Annual Meeting scheduled
November 1-5 in Seattle, Washington. We hope that each of you will have
interest in participating in this GSA Session. I encourage each of you to
submit an Abstract, as we are hoping for an excellent turnout for the GSA
Session. However, if you do not wish to submit a Paper, and only wish to
listen, we welcome you to travel to Seattle in November for the GSA
Meeting. We will try to plan a social program to go along with the
technical session. The best interchanges are often over a beer.

The entire proposal including rationale and a brief session description is
included in the attached Word File:

(See attached file: GSA Peace Corps Session Proposal - Final 011603B.doc)

Of course, this proposal is only the first step. The next step is to have
the proposal accepted. However, I am confident that we have proposed an
outstanding topic and that it will be accepted by GSA.

Abstracts for 15 minute presentations must be submitted to GSA
electronically by July 15th. When you read the "Rationale" on the
submission, you may note that I've proposed a "Peace Corps Geologist"
session that is (topic-wise) broad enough to drive a truck through. I
believe each one of us could easily submit several abstracts on a variety
of topics. However, each Speaker can only present one Paper at a GSA
Meeting unless he is an "Invited Speaker." If we have a single half-day
session, we may have up to four "invited" speakers, and if we have an
all-day (or double) session we may have up to eight "invited" speakers. I
have listed four invited Speakers as a "Hold" however we can juggle these
as necessary. As "Advocate" for the session I have the ability to accept
those abstracts that fit our Session and reject any I don't believe are
appropriate. Information concerning the meeting and directions for
submitting abstracts will be on the GSA website at: www.geosociety.org.
The length of the Session is dependent upon the number of abstracts that
are submitted. 12-16 Abstracts will translate into a half-day Session and
24-32 abstracts will provide us with an All-day Session.

We will need to contact all possible contributors and participants. I'm
counting on each of you to help reach out to other PC geologists whom you
may know who might contribute to this session. This may include anyone in
the geoscience profession that served in the Peace Corps (whether or not
their Peace Corps service was as geoscientists), as well as Peace Corps
geologists (including those who taught geology) who moved into other
professional areas (e.g., two former Ghana PC geologists who have become
medical doctors), as well as those of us who worked in the geosciences
while in the Peace Corps and have remained in the field (active or
retired). I have also extended an invitation to several Canadian
geologists who served as CUSO volunteers assigned to the Ghana Geological
Survey in the late 1970s.

I am also proposing that we dedicate the Session to three of our late
colleagues: Dr. Olcott Gates (Ghana PC staff, 1963-65), Will Reiser (Ghana
VI PC geologist) and Jim Barr (Ghana III PC geologist). It would be
appropriate to project pictures of the three at the start and close of the
Session. I can provide pictures of Jim Barr (vintage 1963-65) and I
probably have one of Olcott Gates as part of a group. Perhaps other Ghana
II/III/IV geologists have better ones of Ollie. I hope that one of the
Ghana VI geologists can provide a picture of Will Reiser.

The following Ghana RPCV (& CUSO) geologists have been contacted previously
or are in the process of being contacted:
John Adams, Buckingham, PA (Ghana, 1963-65)
Dave Behnke, Little Rock, AR (Ghana, 1963-65)
Steve Castor, Reno, NV (Ghana, 1965-67)
George Coakley, Reston, VA (Ghana, 1965-67)
Dave Copeland, Laramie WY (Ghana, 1965-67)
Ernie Businelli, Bogota, New Jersey (Ghana, 1965-67)
Dennis Elrod, Denver, CO (Ghana, 1977-80)
Bob Fakundiny, Albany, NY (Ghana, 1963-65)
Mike Field, Gambier, OH (Ghana, 1963-65)
John Friedrich, Fallon, NV (Ghana, 1963-65)
David Hastings, Bangkok, Thailand (Ghana, 1970s)
Dick Holm, Flagstaff, AZ (Ghana, 1963-65)
Bill Kaiser, Austin, TX (Ghana, 1963-65)
Ernie Kendall, Seabrook, TX (Ghana, 1962-64)
Bob Levich, Las Vegas, NV (Ghana, 1963-65)
Don Marszalek, RPCV Ghana, 1963-65
Rob Matthews, Winnipeg, Manitoba (CUSO, Ghana, 1977-80)
Roland McEldowney, Evergreen, CO (Ghana, 1963-65)
Marshall Nelson, Whiting, NJ (Ghana, 1963-65)
David Norman, Socorro, NM (Ghana, 1970s)
Paul Palmer, RPCV Ghana, 1965-67
Dave Ripley, Bismarck, ND (Ghana, 1965-67)
Steve Saunders, Arlington, VA (Ghana, 1963-65)
Ed Simonis, Carmichael, CA (Ghana, 1963-65)
Dick Schroeder, Perth, Western Australia (Ghana, 1963-65)

We are attempting to locate:
Ron Gross, RPCV Ghana, 1965-67
Mike Hickey, RPCV Ghana, 1963-65
Elwood McKinney, RPCV Ghana, 1963-65
Will Julian, RPCV Tanzania, 1961-63
Norman Parker, RPCV Ghana, 1969-71

We've had several other suggestions vis-a-vis the Session:
1. Invite a representative of the Ghana Geological Survey (also ask the GGS
to agree to be a sponsor), or if possible, ask the former Director, Godfrey
Kesse to participate or possibly Kwesi Barning, now with the Ghana Minerals
Commission.
2. Ask a representative from AGID (the Association of Geologists for
International Development) to participate. David Hastings is a Lifetime
Member - perhaps he could make the contact.
3. We plan to request sponsorship from GSA's International Division.
4. We will welcome other suggestions.
5 .Ask a representative from the US Peace Corps to participate in the
Session.

Thanks for your patience and help. I look forward to your responses.
Respond via E-mail or by phone:
E-mail: bob_levich@...
Office: 702-794-5449
Home: 702-877-0694
Cell: 702-768-7642


Best regards,

Bob Levich








--
Robert D. Rogers
Dept. of Geological Sciences
Institute for Geophysics
The University of Texas at Austin
4412 Spicewood Springs Rd. bldg 600
Austin, TX 78759-8500
http://www.ig.utexas.edu/research/projects/honduras/index.htm

Office  512 471-0387
Fax  512 471-8844
Cell  512 779-6008
rrogers@...