Introduction
In April 2023, The Alaska Geological Society (AGS) designated 30 individuals as the inaugural class of "Pathfinders in Alaska Geology." According to their announcement:
"This award was established to recognize true trailblazers in the geosciences in Alaska; men and women who made enormous contributions to the general understanding of the geology of the Last Frontier."
"The composition of this first class was determined after several months of research and deliberation by a committee of 9 long-time Alaskan geologists. Following the 2023 AGS Technical Conference, the nomination process for future inductees will be posted and open to the public."
Being librarians, we ran the names of this initial class through the Alaska Library Catalog, a catalog shared by nearly four dozen independent libraries. Click on links below for works by and sometimes about these geological pathfinders:
The First Class (2023)
- David Brew
- Alfred Brooks
- William Brosgé
- A.F. Buddington
- Stephen Capps
- Robert Coats
- Robert “Buck” Detterman
- Arthur Grantz
- David Hopkins
- Ernest Leffingwell
- Edward Mackevett
- Thomas Marshall
- George Martin
- Walter C. Mendenhall
- John Mertie
- Don J. Miller
- Fred Moffit
- Charles “Gil” Mull
- Warren Nokleberg
- William Patton
- Troy Péwé
- Louis Prindle
- Donald Richter
- Frank Schrader
- Philip Smith
- Josiah Spurr
- David Stone
- Irv Tailleur
- Wesley Wallace
- Florence Weber
