Greetings, friends –

Like you, I love when the calendar says “fall” – but not only because of the cooler temperatures and, for many of us, enjoying the season of beautiful colors.

I also love that we’re heading into an important time of the year for the AAPG Foundation.

Talk about momentum!

It’s hard to not get overly excited about what we’ve done so far this year, what we’re doing right now and some of the projects that are underway for the rest of 2024.

All of this is happening, of course, because of your ongoing, dedicated support of the Foundation.

• We just had a fantastic experience at IMAGE (much more about that in this newsletter).
• We’ve been meeting with Foundation supporters all around the country this year, with more meetings planned. (Rocky Mountain Section, here we come!)
• We’re supporting some very innovative people and programs that are all about geoscience education excellence.
• Our public outreach initiatives – including continuing support of Geoscientists without Borders and the “Energy Starts With Me” program – are stronger than ever.

It keeps us busy, but mainly it makes us proud to be working together with you!
together with you!

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Administrative Update for the Foundation

As you know, longtime Foundation Executive Director David Curtiss recently announced he will be stepping away from that role sometime soon.

And you also know, David has been a huge and wonderful asset to the Foundation for the past decade-plus. He’s performed his duties magnificently, with excellence and efficiently.

These are going to be big shoes to fill!

Our search for a replacement has begun – the Foundation is working with the Association (with some help from a national consulting group) in finding a person to fill the slot as executive director for both the Foundation and AAPG.

We anticipate a new hire by the end of the year, so please stay tuned – we’ll share the news with you as soon as possible.

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The Foundation Forum at IMAGE

IMAGE has become a significant opportunity to showcase the work of the Foundation, and this year’s event was as exciting as ever. Being there was like getting a shot of pure adrenalin!

Once again, the Foundation held a lively and very informative Forum in Houston during last month’s IMAGE, this year attracting nearly 40 people who wanted to ask questions, offer suggestions and discuss the role of Foundation.

The Forum is proving itself to be one of our more valuable and noteworthy events of the year.

Joining me at the helm for the 90-minute session were fellow Trustee Scott Cameron, TA chair Dexter Harmon and Foundation executive director David Curtiss.

It’s impossible to share here all that we discussed, but some forum suggestions and highlights included:

• Cultivate a bigger Foundation presence in the education community.
• We have money for projects, but sometimes we don’t have enough proposals to consider! We can – should? – actively encourage more proposals.
• Encourage TAs to become Foundation ambassadors to their alma maters and local schools – a Foundation-led initiative to contact department chairs at our universities and colleges, letting them know more about our funding opportunities.
• Encourage TAs to provide more suggestions for Foundation funding.
• Expand marketing efforts of the Foundation’s Deana and Paul Strunk Military Veterans Scholarship Program. (Read more about this year’s MVSP recipients in EXPLORER)
• Continue to support – and promote – the popular Geoscientists without Borders program. (It’s good for geosciences AND the public.)
• Update/create a more robust Foundation presence on social media.
• Be more aggressive in marketing the Foundation.
• Can the Foundation provide funds for graduate students to get their theses and dissertations published in the AAPG Bulletin?
• The Foundation should have an “official traveling road show.”

Please note, your Foundation leadership team and staff were furiously taking notes during this excellent discussion, and several of the topics are already being actively addressed.

The bottom line: We had great questions, great suggestions, and a great time focusing on the Foundation. A big thanks to those who participated – I’m already looking forward to the next one!

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Saying thank you to some great people.

Another IMAGE highlight was our annual Foundation reception, this year hosted by me and TA chair Dexter Harmon.

As always, we had a great time. Seeing old friends is always a treat, and being able to personally thank so many for their continuous support of the Foundation – I’m looking at you, TAs, Members of the Corporation and everyone who contributes to our funds – made the night special.

Another special treat that night: Honoring this year’s Foundation award recipients. This presentation is always a highlight of our meeting. Those honorees were:

Mike Forrest, a world-renowned superstar geophysicist, who received the L. Austin Weeks Memorial Medal, our highest honor.

Robert “Bob” Ardell, who received the Chairman’s Award, given in  recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the Foundation and our mission.

Kay Pitts, who was this year’s Trustee Associates Service Award recipient, largely for her role in orchestrating many quality improvements to the Foundation’s Grants-in-Aid program.

Henry Agbogun, an assistant professor in the department of geosciences at Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kan., this year’s recipient of the Inspirational Geoscience Educator Award. (Read more about him in EXPLORER)

Vincente Lorenz, a passionate and adventurous science teacher at Kokomo High School. In Kokomo, Ind., who is this year’s AAPG Foundation Teacher of the Year. (Read more about him in EXPLORER)

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Also at IMAGE…

The Foundation had yet another presence in Houston, as we sponsored the annual Michel T. Halbouty Lecture, one of the meeting’s most popular (and valuable) events.

This year the speaker was Bill Langin, senior vice president of deepwater exploration for Shell Oil, who gave an excellent talk on his experiences and perspective of exploration, “Decades of the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico: How Innovation and Performance Continue to Unlock New Resources.”

Trustee Scott Cameron provided the introduction.

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Next stop: Park City

I mentioned earlier that an official Foundation “traveling road show” was suggested at our Forum – a good idea, indeed, and it would be an extension of something we’re already doing.

In early September we held our third Foundation reception of the year, all tied geographically to AAPG Section meeting locations. Our most recent event was held in conjunction with the Pacific Section’s annual meeting in Whittier, Calif.

In Whittier, Foundation ambassador and chair of the Foundation Advancement Committee Rick Fritz gave an overview and update of Foundation activities – with an emphasis on helping students in the geoscience community – and Foundation TA Jim Hill, from Camarillo, Calif., offered some comments on the group and how to become a member.

Those attending had quite a few questions about the Foundation, giving Rick plenty of opportunities to share our story. Information and fellowship – that makes for a perfect reception.

Our next Foundation reception will be held Oct. 6 in Park City, Utah, in conjunction with the Rocky Mountain Section meeting – if you’re a TA living in the area, you should have already received your invite. You might also consider bringing a potential Trustee Associate as a guest!

Trustee (and Foundation treasurer) Valary Schulz will be on hand in Park City to provide a Foundation update and answer your questions.

TAs – if you’re in the area, please join us!

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Welcome to the family.

Speaking of TAs … We want to extend a sincere welcome to a new member of the Trustee Associates – Andrea Reynolds, of Houston, where she is Shell Oil’s GM-Improvement & Innovation, Upstream Exploration West & Deep Water.

Andrea has been an active, very passionate leader of AAPG since joining in 1997, including stints as president of both the DPA and EMD.

We expect to be announcing more new TAs in the coming weeks, but for now, please join me in welcoming Andrea.

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We also have this sad note to share: Our friend Robert D. “Bob” Gunn, a giant among exploration geologists and a legendary leader for both AAPG and the AAPG Foundation, passed away peacefully on August 3. He was 99.

Bob was an AAPG Honorary Member who joined the Association in 1953, and as we all know, his impact will continue for years to come. He was president of AAPG in 1978-79, and in 1997 received the Sidney Powers Memorial Award, AAPG’s highest honor.

He also was a member of the AAPG House of Delegates, a charter member of the DEG, received Life Membership in the DPA, and was active on several committees, including the Advisory Council, Corporate Advisory Committee and DPA Governmental Affairs Committee.

Of course, many of us know him as a friend because of his work with the Foundation, where Bob was:

• A founding member of the Foundation’s board of trustees.
• A Member of the Corporation, from 1996-2011.
• A Foundation Trustee Associate (since 1976).

You can read a more detailed account of his life in the September EXPLORER. He was one of the greats, and he’ll be remembered for years to come.

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And, sadly, there are many other TAs who we’ve lost over the past several months – sometimes a bit longer than that – but learned about only recently (based on information provided to the AAPG membership department).

Some notices you may already know about – but it’s never too late to honor the memory of our friends.

Please join me as we recall and applaud their contributions to our Foundation, our profession and our world. They were all great professionals, and their legacies will be remembered for decades.

William W. Ballard, 92, Billings, Mont., May 17, 2024
Terence L. Britt, 91, Oro Valley, Ariz., Dec. 24, 2022
Walter P. Buckthal, 96, Amarillo, Texas, April 1, 2023
Kenneth J. Macho, 75, San Diego, Calif., Feb. 29, 2024
Jere W. McKenny, 93, Oklahoma City, Feb. 3, 2023
Donald F. Todd, 96, Longmont, Colo., April 1, 2022
James D. Webb, 92, Houston, June 23, 2023

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As you enjoy the change to fall weather, please keep an eye on our monthly columns in the EXPLORER, because there will be several updates in the coming months.

Things to watch for:

• A big announcement about changes to the L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grant program.
• New proposals on our plate – more ways to have your support making a bigger impact on our world.
• Updates on the Distinguished Lecture speaking schedules and the popular Imperial Barrel Award activities.

We not only have a lot of work to do on your behalf – we’re doing it!

And as always, I want to personally thank you for your continued, loyal support of the AAPG Foundation. Thanks to you, I truly believe we are doing our best to ensure the future of our profession and the geosciences.

And please remember, while the Foundation is ever grateful for the generous support that you and other TAs provide, we are a “public charity,” which means it helps us enormously to have not only a lot of funds, but also a lot of funders. The more who give, the better for our legal status. So please, encourage others to join us in supporting the efforts.

Finally, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the Trustees with your thoughts about what we can do and how we can do it better. We are a family, and your support and encouragement never cease to bring smiles to our faces.

We’re working for geoscience’s future – and we’re honored to be doing it with you!

Until next time…

Jim McGhay
Foundation Trustees Chair