John C. Green 2000 Goldich Medal Recipient
John C. Green, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth, has had a long, distinguished, and on-going career in the Lake Superior region.
He received his B.A. Degree in Geology from Dartmouth College in 1953. He then spent a year amid Norskies at the University of Oslo on a Fulbright Fellowship. He received his M.A. in 1956 and his Ph.D. in 1960, both from Harvard University. With his dissertation on Appalachian geology of an area in New Hampshire/Maine not quite finished, New Englanders John and Jan moved to Duluth in 1958 when John accepted the position at UMD. Most of his subsequent summers were spent mapping in northern Minnesota for the Minnesota Geological Survey. He did the Archean portion of the Gabbro Lake 15' Quadrangle (Green, Phinney, and Weiblen, 1966), the first detailed map in the remapping of the Precambrian that was undertaken by the MGS under the leadership of Paul Sims. Whereas Minnesota has been his primary working domain, he has taught at the Wasatch-Uinta Geology Field Camp in Utah for six summers, has spent a year as a NASA-NRC Senior Research Associate at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and has traveled widely - including Japan, Iceland, and Namibia - to study volcanic rocks.
John's main scientific interest has been the North Shore Volcanic Group stratigraphy, physical volcanology, structure, petrology, and chemistry - and the Midcontinent Rift System in general. Indeed, the name of John C. Green is synonymous with the NSVG.
He is a most careful and observant field geologist. Today, at the age of 68, long after many geologists would have hung up their field boots and settled for writing the umpteenth summary paper about their glory days, he is still out their leading field trips, beating the bush and the bugs, and hunting for the outcrops that will bring him a little closer to the truth. John doesn't just look at the rocks! He is the rare "complete naturalist", for he knows every species of flora and fauna as well. And, he is very active in preservation of nature for the enjoyment of all. His foresight, initiative, and drive resulted in the preservation of Sugarloaf Cove/Point near Schroeder on the North Shore, with its unique geology, flora, and cultural history, as a protected Natural and Scientific Site. He was instrumental in the founding and continuance of SICA, the Sugarloaf Interpretative Center Association.
One of his more recent accomplishments is his book on the geology and natural history of the state parks of the North Shore, entitled "Geology on Display". It was published by the Minnesota DNR in 1996.
John has been one of the strongest supporters of the Institute on Lake Superior Geology over the last several decades. He presented his first talk there in 1959, and has added 28 abstracts since then. It is because of the dedication and support of people like John, that the ILSG has remained such a viable and healthy organization for nearly half a century .
John C. Green - the tireless field geologist, the laboratory scientist, the demanding teacher, the knowledgeable and cooperative colleague, the educator of the public, the complete naturalist, and the advocate of ILSG - is most deserving of the Goldich Medal! All of us assembled here, as well as wife Jan, daughters Martha and Sarah, sons-in-law Joe and Richard, and five grandchildren, are proud of you!
Congratulations, J.C.!
Submitted by Richard W. Ojakangas
Awarded May 10, 2000
Thunder Bay, Ontario
46th Annual Institute on Lake Superior Geology