Memorial to Chalmer J. Roy1907-1992

DAVID C. ROY Framingham, Massachusetts

ROBERT L. H ELLER Duluth, Minnesota

JO H N LEM ISH Ames, Iowa

Chalmer J. Roy, geologist and educator, died in Ft. Collins,Colorado, on February 19, 1992, following a short hospi­talization. Chalm er served on the faculties o f Louisiana State University for 12 years and then for just under 30 years at Iowa State University, where he retired as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1972 and became pro­fessor and dean emeritus. He was head of the Department of Geology at ISU for 14 years prior to becoming Dean.He retired yet again in 1982 as an assistant to the dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Colorado State Univer­sity, a part-time position he was offered after moving to the Ft. Collins area. Chalmer is survived by his wife Elizabeth; his sons Arthur and David, and six granddaughters. At the time of his death, he and Elizabeth shared a home in the mountains near Red Feather Lakes and a condominium in Ft. Collins.

Chalm er was born in the small town of Oronogo in southwestern Missouri on A pril 2, 1907. He was the youngest child of John Wiley Roy and his second wife, Helen Marie Schichtle Roy. He grew up with three much older half-brothers in addition to a full brother. Three sisters did not survive childhood. His pre-high school education was in Wentworth, Missouri; his high school years began in Pierce City, Missouri, and finished in Quapaw, Oklahoma, a small mining town in the Tri-State Lead-Zinc District. He helped his mother and father manage a boarding house for miners working in the district.

Chalmer left for the University o f Missouri to begin his undergraduate studies and to play football in 1925. Initially a chemistry major, he changed to geology, and dropped football because it interfered with laboratories. He largely funded his college education by working as a plumber’s assistant on campus, as a short-order cook and waiter in local restaurants, and helping his mother and father, who had opened another boarding house in Columbia, Missouri. The boarding house venture failed, causing Chalmer’s mother and father to return to Wentworth, where his father continued his varied public service activities. Following receipt of a B.A. in geology in 1929, Chalmer spent a long summer field season in the Alberta Rockies as part of a petroleum exploration party. During the course of that work, he became interested in some Cre­taceous ironstones, which became the subject of his M.A. thesis at Missouri and his first paper, in 1931. Chalmer completed his M.A. in geology in 1930 and moved east to continue his gradu­ate work at Harvard.

At Harvard, Chalmer not only received his doctorate but met and married Elizabeth (Betty) Putnam Richards. After doing undergraduate work at Wellesley College and earning an M.A. in

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geology (petrology) from Oberlin College, Betty had returned to Wellesley as a laboratory instructor in the geology department. She and Chalmer met at a Harvard seminar and their first dates were to hear lectures offered by Arthur Holmes, then a visiting professor at Harvard. Their marriage in 1933 at her family’s summer place in Bridgton, Maine, began an almost 60-year partnership in both family and professional life.

During his time at Harvard, Chalmer showed his broad interests within geology and his commitment to geological education. He published his master’s thesis and a paper on the weath­ering of the Medford diabase in Medford, Massachusetts, with Marland P. Billings. His bedrock studies in the Pawtuckaway Mountains of New Hampshire were published in 1944 in collabora­tion with Jacob Freedman. He also collaborated with Kirtley F. Mather on the first edition of a laboratory manual covering physical and historical geology. This manual went through two printings and a major revision in the early 1950s in which physical and historical geology were covered in separate volumes. Chalmer’s doctoral research, under L. C. Graton, took him back to the Tri-State district for a study of the formation of chert and silicified carbonate host rocks for the sulfide mineralization. The results of this work were published in abstract form in 1937 and in a widely cited paper on the forms of silica in natural waters published in 1945.

In 1936, Chalmer joined the geology faculty at Louisiana State University, where he taught petrology and economic geology and became director of the department’s geology camp located in Little Fountain Canyon, south of Colorado Springs. His publications during his years at LSU reflect an interest in aspects of the stratigraphy of the Gulf Coast together with both structural and stratigraphic analyses along the Rocky Mountain front in the vicinity of the field station. His early experiences on farms around his birthplace and as a handyman during his undergradu­ate days allowed him to greatly improve and enlarge the facilities at the field station during and after the austere times of World War II. Students and staff were mobilized into work gangs on Sunday mornings to do road work, construct or repair buildings, remove garbage, repair the water system, and help the city of Colorado Springs extend the blessings of electricity. During this time Chalmer took each class of students to the summit of Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado. It may well be that Chalmer accumulated a record number of individual ascents (16) of that mountain, because he continued this exercise when he founded the Iowa State Geology Camp in the same canyon in 1948-1949.

In 1948 Chalmer was appointed head of the Department of Geology at Iowa State Univer­sity. He undertook the rebuilding of a department that had undergone both faculty and student reductions during World War II. During his tenure, strong undergraduate and graduate programs were reinstated based on a fundamental grounding in the basic sciences and other sciences closely allied to geology. During the 1950s, research programs in pure and applied geology were established with increased external funding. After directing the Iowa State field camp together with K. M. Hussey from 1948 to 1958 in Colorado, Chalmer founded the present Iowa State Geological Field Station near Shell, Wyoming, in 1959. He periodically directed the summer field program at the field station until he became dean.

Chalmer’s research and publications prior to becoming dean show an emphasis on geomor­phology both in Iowa and Alaska. Most of his research was concerned with the mechanical properties of silts and soils of the Alaskan tundra in the region around Point Barrow and along the Matanuska River near Anchorage. This extended program was funded by the Office of Naval Research and was done in collaboration with faculty and graduate students from within the department and from the Department of Agronomy.

Chalmer’s appointment as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences came while he was serving as an educational consultant to the government of India, making recommendations con­cerning geological education at major universities of that country. He returned to ISU to begin ten years as dean during a period of unprecedented growth in students, faculty, and programs,

MEMORIAL TO CHALMER J. ROY 115

and social unrest as the Vietnam War grew more and more unpopular. During this time the Col­lege of Arts and Sciences became a focus of pressures for change in curriculum, faculty roles, and academic standards. Instruction in the military sciences at Iowa State in the ROTC programs of the three services also came under Chalmer’s supervision during this period when there was much anti-military feeling within both the student body and the faculty. His success as dean can largely be attributed to his genuine openness to ideas and their proponents, an equanimity of spirit, a sense of humor, and a steady hand on the tiller of the college. Chalmer truly loved the university and its focus on service to the community. It is fitting that his remains are there today in the university cemetery.

While dean, Chalmer continued his strong interest in improving earth science instruction, with a new emphasis on secondary education. He played a leadership role as chairman of the Education Committee of the American Geological Institute and the Steering Committee of the Earth Science Curriculum Project (ESCP) of the AGI. ESCP, funded by the National Science Foundation, was focused on the development of curricular materials for secondary earth science education. The project produced a text, laboratory exercises, and teacher’s guide that were widely adopted by schools across the country. The fourth edition of the text is still in use today. Chalmer also served as an advisor to the Earth Science Teacher Preparation Program, which fol­lowed curriculum development with efforts to improve the qualifications of secondary teachers. For several weeks in 1966 and 1970 under the auspices of the Ford Foundation, Chalmer was a consultant to similar programs in the Philippines that also produced a secondary geology text.

Throughout his life, Chalmer advocated a life of service to others. He expressed this ser­vice in his own activities for his university, professional societies, church, and civic organiza­tions. Chalmer was a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, Mineralogical Society of America, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Iowa Academy of Sciences, National Associa­tion of Geology Teachers, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Rotary Club, and Collegiate Presbyterian Church (Ames, Iowa). He published papers and articles in the journals of most of the profes­sional and honorary societies in which he held memberships. He received the Neil Miner Award from the National Association of Geology Teachers and seemed especially proud of his first paper in that association’s Journal o f Geological Education: it appeared in the first issue of the first volume on the first page. Though Chalmer did not serve in the armed forces during World War II because of age and critical employment, he provided service to his country in the U.S. Army reserves following the war and in his ROTC roles as dean. In 1949, Chalmer was asked by the Army to form a strategic intelligence unit specializing in the Middle East. He was given a direct commission as a reserve lieutenant colonel and served as commander of the unit until 1962, when he left the reserves as colonel. As dean, Chalmer was the university’s representative to, and president of, the Association of NROTC Colleges and Universities, and he was twice awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Navy’s highest civilian award, in 1970 and 1977.

Chalmer is greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues. His life was an example of what can be accomplished by determination, great effort, help from family and friends, and a genuine interest in people met along the way. The climbing of Mt. Elbert offers a metaphor for his life. At timberline, he would tell students that the path to the top was clear along the ridge and they should maintain a steady pace, keep track of each other, and be wary of the attractions of false summits.

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SELECTED BIBLIO G RAPH Y OF C. J. ROY

1931 Syngenetic ironstones from Cretaceous shales of Alberta: Pan American Geologist, v. 55, p. 342-346.

1933 (with Billings, M. P.) Weathering of the Medford diabase: Pre- or post-glacial, a discus­sion: Journal of Geology, v. 41, p. 654-666.

1934 (with Mather, K. F.) Laboratory manual of physical and historical geology: New York, Appleton-Century, 302 p.

1937 Origin of the chert in the Tri-state (Missouri-Oklahoma-Kansas) zinc-lead district [abs.]: Geological Society of America Proceedings for 1936, p. 93.

1939 The type locality of the Citronelle Formation, Citronelle, Alabama: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 23, p. 1553-1559.

1941 (and Glockzin, A. R.) Tentative correlation chart of the Gulf Coast: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 25, p. 742-746.

------ Cheyenne Mountain overthrust, Colorado [abs.]: Geological Society of America Proceed­ings for 1940, p. 100.

1944 (and Freedman, Jacob) Petrology of the Pawtuckaway Mountains, New Hampshire: Geo­logical Society of America Bulletin, v. 55, p. 905-920.

1945 Silica in natural waters: American Journal of Science, v. 243, p. 393-403.------ (with Glockzin, A. R.) Structure of the Red Creek area, Fremont County, Colorado: Geo­

logical Society of America Bulletin, v. 56, p. 819-828.1946 Clastic dikes of the Pikes Peak region [abs.]: Geological Society of America Bulletin,

v. 57, p. 1226.1949 (with Blake, D. B.) Unusual stylolites: American Journal of Science, v. 247, p. 779-790.1950 (with Mather, K. F., and Thiesmeyer, L. R.) Physical geology: A laboratory manual for

geology, Part I: New York, Appleton-Century-Crofts, 87 p.1951 Geological mineralogy: Journal of Geological Education, v. 1, no. 1, p. 1-17.1952 (and Hussey, K. M.) Mass wasting on Table Mountain, Fremont County, Colorado: Amer­

ican Journal of Science, v. 250, p. 35-45.------ (with Mather, K. F.) Historical geology: A laboratory manual for geology, Part II: New

York, Appleton-Century-Crofts, 96 p.1955 Geologic factors related to quality of limestone aggregates: Iowa Highway Research

Board Proceedings, p. 400-412.------ (with Thomas, L. A., and Hussey, K. M.) A drumloid hill, Story County, Iowa: Iowa

Academy of Science Proceedings, v. 62, p. 361-365.1956 (with Stump, R. W., Handy, R. L., and Davidson, D. T.) Property studies of Alaskan silts

in the Matanuska Valley, Big Delta, and Fairbanks areas: Iowa Academy of Science Pro­ceedings, v. 63, p. 477-513.

1959 (with Dahl, A. R., and Davidson, D. T.) Petrography and engineering properties of Kansan till in southern Iowa: Iowa Academy of Science Proceedings, v. 66, p. 283-301.

------ (with Stump, R. W., Handy, R. L., Davidson, D. T., and Thomas, L. A.) Silt deposits in theMatanuska Valley, Alaska: Iowa Engineering Experiment Station Bulletin, v. 186, p. 33-70.

------ (with Lindholm, G. F., Thomas, L. A., Davidson, D. T., and Handy, R. L.) Silts near BigDelta and Fairbanks, Alaska: Iowa Engineering Experiment Station Bulletin, v. 186, p. 33-70.

------ (with Lindholm, G. F., Thomas, L. A., Davidson, D. T., and Handy, R. L.) Trafficability ofAlaskan silts: Iowa Engineering Experiment Station Bulletin, v. 186, p. 71-85.

MEMORIAL TO CHALMER J. ROY 117

1959 (with Blank, E. L, Davidson, D. T., and Handy, R. L.) Military trafficability of soils in the Matanuska Valley, Alaska: Iowa Engineering Experiment Station Bulletin, v. 186, p. 87-89.

------ (with Carlson, P. R., Hussey, K. M., Davidson, D. T., and Handy, R. L) Geology andmechanical stabilization of Cenozoic sediments near Point Barrow, Alaska: Iowa Engi­neering Experiment Station Bulletin, v. 186, p. 101-128.

------ (with O’Sullivan, J. B., Davidson, D. T., Handy, R. L., and Hussey, K. M.) Crude oil forstabilization of soil materials at Point Barrow, Alaska: Iowa Engineering Experiment Sta­tion Bulletin, v. 186, p. 129-149.

1962 Geology in India: Geotimes, v. 7, no. 4, p. 36-39.------ The sphere of the geological scientist: Washington, D.C., American Geological Institute,

28 p.1963 Hibernation or cybernation: Phi Kappa Phi Journal, v. 43, no. 2, p. 25-29.1966 Let’s teach geology as the science of the earth: Journal of Geological Education, v. 14,

p. 47-50.1967 (and others) Investigating the earth (edited by R. E. Bisque and R. L. Heller): Boston,

Houghton Mifflin, 594 p.1969 The imbalance of nature: Today’s Education, v. 58, p. 26-28.1970 (and others) Geology and earth sciences sourcebook (second edition, edited by R. L.

Heller): New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 459 p.1973 (editor) (and others) Investigating the earth: second edition, Boston, Houghton Mifflin,

529 p.------ (editor) (and others) Investigating the earth: Teacher’s guide (second edition): Boston,

Houghton Mifflin, 313 p.1978 (and others) Investigating the earth (third edition, edited by W. H. Matthews III): Boston,

Houghton Mifflin, 557 p.1984 (and others) Investigating the earth (fourth edition, edited by W. H. Matthews III): Boston,

Houghton Mifflin, 560 p.

Printed in U.S.A. on Recycled Paper 6/93