Alumni & Friends
The following pages are created so you can stay connected with alumni and friends. We welcome any submissions from you of stories, memories, and photos. We also appreciate being updated with your current contact information.
Our school is continually evolving and advancing. We hope to meet and visit with many of you at upcoming events or when you return for a campus visit.
Click here to submit your own news and info to geology@geo.ua.edu
Comments from our Alumni
2010
Tom Logan (’58 BS, Geology)
Retired from the U.S. Air Force in December 1981 with the rank of Colonel. Taught earth science in the secondary school system here in Cheynne, Wyoming for eleven years and am now fully retired in Cheyenne. (comment 2008)
Dossey White, Jr. (’63 MS, Geology)
Retired in 1994 after 31-years with industry (Lookheed Missles and Space Co. & the Georgia Marbel Co.), State (Geological Survey of Alabama), and Federal (U.S. Bureau of Mines) expericnce. (comment 2008)
Doug Roper (’69 BS, ’77 MS Univ. Tenn, Geology)
Currently Manager Permian Basin for Continental Land and Fur Co. Inc., evaluating and buying Oil & Gas deals. ten years prior, worked as Consulting Geophysicist in Midland.
Division Geophysicist for Forest Oil Corp for 12 years.
Retired from Air Force Reserve on 1 Oct 99 with rank of Colonel. Tell Dr Hooks I bought land and house in Costilla Co. Colorado to retire to. Has great view of Spanish Peaks on one side and Blanca on the other. Invite all members of “Grand Alliance of Spanish Peaks” to visit!
John Sheffield (’73 BA, MA/AA Science Ed.)
Maybe not interesting, but, I have been teaching Marine Biology at Tuscaloosa County High School for the past 24 years. I married in 1980, and my wife, Alice, and I have traveled extensively throughout the states. In our travels, I have used my geology background to take us to some highly unusual places.
LeVan, Bernard (’74 BS Geology, ’80 MS Business, ’97 BS Comp)
From my Geology experience at UA, I have been associated with the Army Corps of Engineers for over 26 years. Although I did not find too many minerals, I did push a lot of dirt and bridge a lot of rivers. Geology rocks!
Larry Tunnell (’74 BS, Geology, ’93 MS, Env. Eng)
Previously spent 16 years as a geophysicist in oil and gas exploration in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Currently Chief Engineer with Orange County Utilities in Orlando and am project manager for the County’s Integrated Water Resources Program.
Joel Duncan (’77 BS, ’98 Ph.D, Florida State, Geology)
I completed my Ph.D. in Geology at Florida State University in August of 1998. I am currently employed by the Florida Geological Survey as a research geologist specializing in the deep subsurface geology of Florida (Paleozoic through Jurassic).
Thomas See (’77 BS, ’85 MS University of Houston Geology)
Principal Scientist / Project Manager at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. I spent the first 24 plus years of my career with Lockheed Martin and am currently employed by Barrios Technology under the ESCG contract at JSC. Since 1980 I have been working as a Planetary Geologist conducting and supporting research in the Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science (ARES; http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov) directorate located in Houston; for the past 10 years I have also had the additional duties of serving as a project manager. ARES conducts basic research in Earth, planetary, and space sciences, as well as having the curatorial responsibility for all NASA-held extraterrestrial samples (e.g., Moon rocks, meteorites, etc.).
I received my Masters Degree from the University of Houston studying under Dr. Elbert King, the first curator of lunar samples following the return of Apollo 11 from the Moon. The early part of my working career focused on research related to the understanding of the impact cratering process on both small scales into spacecraft, as well as planetary sized events.
I have been fortunate to work on three flight missions including the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) as a member of the Meteoroid & Orbital Debris Special Investigation Group, the Orbital Debris Collector (ODC) that captured natural and man-made particles in low-Earth orbit (http://setas-www.larc.nasa.gov/index.html), and most recently Stardust, which successfully captured materials from the Comet Wild-2 and returned them to Earth for study (http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/stardust/index.cfm).
One of the highlights of my life still remains the Geology/Geography rafting trip that the department took down the Grand Canyon during the summer of 1977.
Philip Robertson (’79 BA Geology)
Selected to represent the Director, National Imagery and Mapping Agency to Headquarters, Air Combat Command at Langley AFB, VA in July 2002. Plan to stay here indefinitely! You have to love a region called TIDEwater!
Kirk Sparkman (’79 BS, Geology)
I am a petroleum geologist for OXY, USA, located in Houston, Texas. I am currently working the Central Utha trust-fold belt doing exploration and deveolpmental geology. I have been with OXY for 27 years. Married with 4 daughters, all of whom have graduated from or are currently attending the U of A.
Photos from work I had the opportunity to do in Albania. Photos of a group of about 25-30 Alabama geology students and guess that rafted down the Colorado River/Grand Canyon in 1978. (comment 2008)
Ralph Howard (’81 BS, ’90 MS, Geology)
Susanne and I will soon celebrate the first birthday of our second son, Daniel Ralph Howard, in
April of 2001. As a Project Manager for USEPA, my job is to direct and oversee investigation and cleanup activities at Superfund hazardous waste sites. I worked with a private environmental consulting firm (1988-91) before EPA.
Bottom line for cleaning up sites: Geology Rules.
Michael Cox (’82 BS, Geology)
Photos ….. Relaxing with the family before paddeling on the Ocoee River. (comment 2008)
Diane (Dana) Cook (’82 BS, Geology)
Two children, Emma – 12 years old, Molly – 7 years old.
Larry Corn (’82 BS, Geology)
After graduating from Bama in 1982, I went to work in the geotechnical engineering field. I am currently the manager of the Atlanta, Georgia office of PSI, Inc.. I am married to Carla ( who I was dating at Bama) and have three wonderful children.
Scott Gavin (’83 BS, Geology)
Single father of Conrad, born Mar 13, 2000.President DocuCentric Corporation, Tulsa OK, Systems. Integrator, SGML/XML Application development. Company established 1992.
David Hooks (’83 BS, ’85 MS, Geology)
Still married to Betsy Groover (BS GEO 1984). David Hooks (BS ’83, MS ’85) is currently employed as a geologist in the International division of DeGolyer and MacNaughton, a petroleum consulting firm located in Dallas, Texas. David joined D&M in September, 1995 after 11 years with ARCO. Betsy is occupied with 2 boys- Bill (10) and Nelson (7).
Mark Steltenpohl (’83 MS Geology)
Attached are two pictures of me doing field work in Norway while at UA. Also a photo of a Tuscaloosa News article from that time (1979). Cheers!
Mark Chapman (’84 BS, Geology, ’97 MSEM, ’99 MBA)
Currently working for United States Steel in Land Management. Also I am in my third year of law school at the Birmingham School of Law. (comment 208)
James Rice (’84 BS Geology)
I have been involved with the NASA Mars Rover Missions. I am an Astrogeologist and Mars Rover Project Scientist on both Spirit and Opportunity. (Pic #1) I am at launch pad in Cape Canaveral with Opportunity Rover sitting atop its Delta II launch vehicle, with full-scale mockup of Mars Exploration Rover at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. I was invited by NASA to be on the science team as a geologist. (Pic #2) The first joint US-Rissia Antarctic expedition which lasted six months and we were stationed at a Russian science outpost. I and another US scientist were the first two Americans to ever stay at this base in eastern Antarctica. (Pic #3) I am pictured ready to contuct my SCUBA dive in the frozen lake.
(Pic #4, 5) I am involved with field geology training and science operations as we prepare to return American Astronuts to the Moon by 2020 as shown in the photo from the NASA astronaut field geology training exercise. (comment 2008)
Terry Osborne (’85 BA, ’88 MS, Geology)
Been married 13 years. I have one son 7 years old. Recently changed jobs. I now work for a company owned and run by geologists. A very nice change from engineering companies.
Steve Parker (’85 BS, ’89 MS Geology)
I recently (2001) relocated from Paducah, Kentucky to the Charleston, South Carolina area. I have been with EnSafe Inc. (Environmental Consutltants) for nearly 10 years after spending 5 years at the Alabama Geological Survey. I manage our South Carolina office where we work primarily with the U. S. Navy. I have a wife Anna and two children, Ella and Maura.
Lee Vaughn (’85 MS, Geology)
I was literally dodging vipers! This was the old Soviet core warehouse in a derelict area that looked like the set for Mad Max movie, and a large snake had taken up residence. I was building a geological model of the super-giant Tengiz Field at the time, and was on a data-gather trip
Timothy Floyd (’86 BS, Geology)
Owner of Floyd Environmental, Inc. an environmental consulting firm since November 1990. Will be merging with another Birmingham based consulting firm as of January 1, 1998. The new firm will be named CFM-Layton, Inc.
David Garner(’87 BA, Geology)
My not-so-interesting news: finished my M.S. in geology at LSU in 1990; began work with Shell; just completed 10th year; married Lee Anne Sumrall of Baton Rouge in 1994; no kids yet; still make several trips a year back to Tuscaloosa to visit family and friends; what I miss most about Alabama – REAL HILLS.
Bob Hines (’88 PhD, Geology)
Life after the oil patch brought me to Mobile in 1993 as a Senior Project Scientist with Woodward-Clyde (now URS Greiner Woodward Clyde) and Senior Geologist for the Mobile office. I married the former Cindy (Lucinda) Austin in June 1997 and we are very proud to announce that we are expecting a girl to be born sometime between Christmas and New Years. Yes, she may very well be a millenium bug in her own right. Best Regards to All.
Patrick (Pat) Smith (’88 BS, Geology)
Working in Mapping and GIS Training at Intergraph Corp. in Huntsville. Enjoying work on the farm and exploration of local caves! 
Brian Sims (’88 BS, Geology)
Since leaving the University in 1988, I have worked as a geologist in the coalbed methane industry (GeoNet), environmental (TTL) and have been in the brick industry since 1998. Presently I am V.P. of manufacturing for Jenkins Brick Company in Montgomery, Alabama. I married a girl from Northport in 1991 and we have 3 children. (comment 2008)
Tom Powers (’90 MS, Geology)
Photo ……. Sorry this photo is late (Dr. Mancini will not be surprised). I am a geotechnical engineer intern and geologist at Thompson Engineering in Mobile. Photo was taken during an airboat ride though the lower Mobile delta this past August 2008. From botom left: My daughter, Kathleen and Margie Powers; middle row: my sister Jean Powers, my daughter Claire, and my wife Susan, top row, me, Tom Powers.(comment 2008)
Brian Murray (’91 MS, Geology)
I am currently employed as a Sr. Geologist/Section Manager with Science Applications International Corp. in Oak Ridge, TN. We(wife Donna and two sons) have been in east TN for 8 years and really appreciate the scenary after living in TX and LA working in the oil exploration business.
Sally Gillies (’94 MS, Geology)
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Feb. 21, 2008) – Crosshair Exploration & Mining Corp. (TSX VENTURE:CXX)(AMEX:CXZ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sally Gillies to the position of General Manager, Lonestar Division. Ms. Gillies is a geologist with over 13 years of international experience in mineral exploration.
“Our Central Mineral Belt (CMB) Uranium Property in Labrador has grown and advanced to the point where two divisions are required in order to explore and develop it efficiently. The CMB Property has been divided into the Northstar (or northern) Divison and the Lonestar (southern) Division. We are very pleased that Sally has joined our team as General Manager for the Lonestar Division,” says Mark Morabito, CEO of the Company. “Sally will be spearheading an extensive exploration program in the largely unexplored southern half of the project.”
Since obtaining her Masters in Economic Geology from the University of Alabama in 1995, Ms. Gillies has worked as Senior Geologist on several projects world-wide. She has developed, implemented and managed exploration programs for numerous companies including Continental Minerals (Hunter Dickinson Group) in China; Bema Gold Corporation in Canada, USA, Venezuela, Chile and Russia; and Falconbridge Ltd. in Canada.
The Lonestar Division will focus primarily on exploring for structurally-controlled (“Michelin type”) uranium mineralization in the southern portion of the CMB Property. The Northstar Division will be responsible for the resource development of the C Zone as well as the continued exploration for IOCG and unconformity-related uranium deposits in the northern and central portions of the Property. The company expects to have six diamond drills turning this summer. This will allow the Northstar Division to continue to increase the 43-101 compliant uranium resource estimate of the C Zone and potentially define resources at other emerging targets as well as allow the Lonestar Division to test the underexplored southern half of the project.
The Lonestar Division area is underlain by felsic volcanic rocks hosting known uranium occurrences. A property-wide airborne radiometric and magnetic survey flown in late 2005 revealed the most intense uranium anomalies both in size and magnitude identified on the property. In the fall of 2007, these anomalies were further refined by the results of a 798 sample lake sediment survey. In 2008, the Lonestar Division will focus on the uranium-in-lake-sediment anomalies associated with the airborne uranium anomalies and cross-cutting structures identified by the magnetic component of the airborne survey. (comment 2009)
Rob Howell (’95 BS, ’98 MS, Geology)
After finishing graduate school I took a job as an Environmental Geologist with Southern Company in Birmingham. I still get to have a lot of contact with the Geology Department. My company is actually funding research the department is conducting on new remediation technologies.
Charles Cole (’96 BS, Geology)
I married Wendy Webb on Feruary 14, 1997. I worked briefly for Law Engineering in Birmingham and began working for CGG in Houston in September of 97.
Jeff Toxey (’96 BS (minor in Physics and Math), ’97 MS, Univ. of AZ, Geology)
I am currently working with Exxon Mobil Corporation in Houston with the Production Company in Field Studies. April and I are happily married, coming up on our 2nd anniversary in May. We are about to move into our first home at the end of April 2000. We visit Alabama occasionally but relive our time there by working with the Houston Chapter of the Alabama Alumni and spending time with our friends John Kimbro, Chuck Cole and Jeff Fortenberry who also live in Houston.
Bryan Ward (’97 BS, Geology (Minor in Fuels and Mineral Resources), ’99 BS, Mining Engineering)
After graduation in May in 1999, My wife (Tammy), who is Alabama Alumni as well (BS in Nutrition 1997), and I moved to a suburb of Atlanta. I accepted the position of Land Manager with Blue Circle Aggregates (later acquired by Lafarge SA), which is one of 3 divisions. Blue Circle Cement, one of the other divisions, currently has a quarry in Calera, AL. I work in conjuction with mining engineering, geology, and environmental. My main responsibility is acquiring land for reserves and disposing any additional land for our 11 quarries and 2 sand & gravel operations around the Atlanta and Columbus areas. (update) Currently have been working with Energen Resources Corporation in Birmingham, AL since May 2002 as Senior Reservoir Engineer. I have worked mainly in San Juan Basin (mostly Fruitland Coal), North Louisiana (Hosston & Cotton Valley) and East Texas (Cotton Valley), acquisitions & divestitures, and Wolfberry Trend in the Midland Basin since the beginning of 2011. My wife, 3 kids (2 sons and 1 daughter), and I live in Hoover, AL. I enjoyed the multiple trips on the job while working the San Juan Basin and driving through Bernalillo area. So many memories of our field course, but now how more appreciation when on hiking trips around the Farmington and Durango areas with other geologists and engineers. Actually being able to study the rock and enjoy the scenery was great.
Paul Pearce (’02 MS Geology)
Currently, I’m a geoscience manager for Petroleum Holdings, LLC, a small private oil and gas producer located in Houston, Texas. I’m managing our north Louisiana and Texas panhandle properties. I’ve been with Plantation since November 2007. (comment 2008)
Kendall Rich (’06 MS Geology)
I work at URS Corporation in Birmingham as an environmental scientist, currently working on FEMA digital flood insurance rate mapping projects using GIS and hydraulic/hydrologic modeling techniques. Other recent projects include stromwater polution prevention, groundwater well (installation, monitoring, and sampling) projects, and currently resource management/archaeology. I’m taking the PG Fundamentals exam later this week, and I will soon take an exam to become a Certified Fooldplain Manager.
Larry Greene (’06 PhD Geology)
Photo …… Drilling in a field in Northern Louisiana (comment 2008)
Chapman, Philip (’07 MS Geology)
Photo ….. Twenty Chesapeake Energy employees on a week geological field trip to the Tucks and Caicos Islands as part of a Modern Carbonate Environmentals field class. (comment 2008)
Matt Taylor (’07 BS)
photo (comment 2008)
From left to right in the picture are Matt Taylor 2007/B.S., Chad Revees 2007/B.S., and Wesley Edwards . Matt Taylor and I are shown at our fourty hour hazardous training exercise (in moon suits). I am (Chad) in the neon green suit and Matt is in the orange suit.
Chad Revees (’07 BS)
photo (comment 2008)