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Charles S. Content, a consummate field geologist who was responsible for the
early growth of the geology department at Bechtel Corp., died in Danville, Calif.,
on Feb. 21. He was 94.
Born in 1908, Content grew up in Raton, N.M., where his early interest in nature
led him to earn his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of
Colorado in Boulder. He spent his early career at the Bureau of Reclamation,
first as a surveyor and later as a geologist. He had risen to district geologist
when he joined Bechtel in 1956.
That year, Content was one of four geologists at Bechtel. The company employed
nearly 100 geologists when he retired as chief geologist in 1974. We had the
good fortune to work with Content while he was at Bechtel.
Content’s passion was field geology. He nurtured two generations of Bechtel
geologists to base their conclusions on field observations and measurements.
He insisted we climb every peak and crawl into every canyon when mapping an
area for an engineering project. He had little patience with those who did not.
Content’s geology staff mapped and collected subsurface geology data for
some of the largest, most complex projects in the world. Content often performed
the feasibility studies of the toughest, most remote sites himself. If a particularly
knotty geology problem cropped up during later site studies, he took the lead,
in the field, by showing the field geologist how to solve a similar problem
the next time. We mapped in some of the most remote, difficult spots on the
planet, and it was glorious.
During Content’s tenure in the 1950s, 1960s and earliest 1970s, Bechtel
was involved with the design and construction of many large projects, including
dams, tunnels, marine ports, airports, large buildings, power plants (particularly
nuclear), industrial plants, mine infrastructure, pipelines and roadways. Bechtel
projects spanned the globe and Content traveled the world to review them. He
tackled the toughest problems himself. He understood the importance of evolving
technology and developed a staff that used the latest technology.
Content’s written and oral recommendations to project managers, vice presidents
and clients were each tailored to his audience. He had the talent of a trained
artist and used it proficiently to help engineers understand how the geology
would affect their engineering and construction. These sketches typically focused
the engineer’s attention on those features critical to engineering and
construction better than words and photos could. Some of his best engineering
geology sketches were published by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Content was a distinguished engineering geologist and a great friend. We are
so pleased he chose engineering geology as his life’s work.
Richard Migues, Cole McClure and Michael Beathard
George Phair, a retired research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) in Reston, Va., died of cancer at Suburban Hospital on Aug. 5. Phair,
a long-time resident of Potomac, Md., was 83.
Phair was born in 1918 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Lyndhurst, N.J. He
received bachelor’s degrees in geology and chemistry from Hamilton College
in 1940 and a master’s in structural geology from Rutgers University in
1942. He received a master’s and doctorate in geology and geochemistry
in 1947 and 1949 from Princeton University.
During World War II, Phair worked as a chemist at the Carnegie Institution of
Washington’s Geophysical Laboratory, where his experimental work on gun
design and propellants led to the development of a new erosion-resistant alloy
that was used as a liner in 50-caliber machine guns. At high rates of fire,
the patented material increased the life of machine-gun barrels tenfold.
In 1949, Phair joined USGS, where he remained a research geologist until his
retirement in 1984. He led field and laboratory investigations on uranium and
thorium and concentrated his studies in Colorado. His research with Harry Levine
on leaching characteristics of uranium, radium and thorium from uranium ore
contributed to successful exploration of the Algoma uranium district in Canada,
which has one of the largest uranium reserves in North America.
His election to fellow in many professional societies was recognition of his
contributions to the field of earth science. Phair was a fellow of the Geological
Society of America, Mineralogical Society of America, American Association for
the Advancement of Science and the Washington Academy of Science. He was an
archivist for the Mineralogical Society of America, a life member of Sigma Xi
and a charter member of the Geochemical Society.
Horticulture was one of Phair’s life-long interests. While he was in college,
he worked in a horticulture company, a job that developed into a strong avocation
throughout his professional career and retirement and resulted in publications
in professional journals on shade and rock-garden plants. Phair was an active
member of the North American Rock Garden Society and helped organize national
meetings on the topic in his retirement.
Judy Back, U.S. Geological Survey
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