Laurence L. Sloss
Sloss, professor emeritus of geological sciences at Northwestern University who died Nov. 2, 1996, was widely recognized in the geoscience community as one of the pioneers of the concept of sequence stratigraphy. Many credit him with instigating a revolution in stratigraphic thinking. His many publications included a seminal 1962 study on the cratonic megasequences of North America.

Robert C. Stephenson
Stephenson, a highly successful science administrator who died Dec. 17, 1996, directed the American Geological Institute during a critical period in its development. During his eight-year tenure, he increased the organization's budget tenfold (primarily through securing increased grant funding) and significantly expanded its services to the geoscience community.

At its annual meeting in February, the American Association for the Advancement of Science recognized six individuals for their pioneering efforts to promote scientific awareness and science education. Those honored were D. ALLAN BROMLEY, dean of engineering and Sterling Professor of Sciences, Yale University; PHILIP W. HEMILY, adviser to the National Research Council and the National Academy of Engineering; ALAN J. FRIEDMAN, director, New York Hall of Science; WILLIAM M. JACKSON, professor of chemistry, University of California, Davis; JOSEPH G. GALL, professor of developmental genetics, Carnegie Institution of Washington; and DERRICK K. ROLLINS, professor of chemical engineering, Iowa State University.

FEDERICO PENA is slated to be the next secretary of energy, replacing HAZEL O'LEARY whose departure was announced shortly after President Clinton's re-election last fall. Pena, who served as transportation secretary during Clinton's first term, was previously the mayor of Denver and a Colorado state legislator.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) presented its 1996 John Wesley Powell awards to three individuals and an organization in recognition of their contributions to USGS programs. JACK DANGERMOND, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redland, Calif., received the Powell award for achievement in industry; his work in developing and distributing geographic information systems has improved the analysis and presentation of USGS data. W. JACQUELINE KIOUS, a USGS volunteer, was honored for her efforts as co- author of a new general interest publication on plate tectonics. The survey recognized NANCY L. PARKE, government affairs director of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, for her support of the U.S. surveying and mapping community. The TRI-COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties, Mich., received the Powell award for achievement in state and local government.

RICHARD J. KRUIZENGA became president and chief executive of the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man (ISEM) at Southern Methodist University on Jan. 1. Kruizenga, who has been a senior fellow and ISEM trustee since 1993, was vice president of corporate planning for Exxon Corporation until his retirement in 1992. He replaces JAMES E. BROOKS, who directed the institute for the last 15 years and who will now serve as its vice chairman. Under Brooks's guidance, ISEM expanded its global outlook through programs involving the international energy industry and played a key role in linking Texas energy companies with international opportunities. Brooks, a past chair of the geology department at Southern Methodist, is a professor emeritus of geological sciences at the university.

Staff changes at federal natural resource agencies include the appointment of MICHAEL DOMBECK as chief of the U.S. Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture. Dombeck leaves the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which he headed as acting director since 1994. SYLVIA V. BACA, Interior's deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, will serve as interim BLM director until a permanent director is selected and confirmed. Resignations announced at Interior include GEORGE FRAMPTON, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, and National Park Service Director ROGER KENNEDY.

Twenty-two current or retired U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) employees have received the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior -- that organization'shighest honor. Those recognized include LARRY AMOS, a National Mapping Program manager; MANUEL BONILLA, an international authority on active faults; computer technology innovator WENDY BUDD; WILLIAM CANNON, an expert on the geology of the Great Lakes region; THOMAS DUTRO, honored for research accomplishments in biostratigraphy, regional geology, and applied brachiopod paleontology; ROMEO FLORES, a key contributor to the fields of sedimentology, energy resources, economic geology, and depositional modeling; MILTON FRIEND, director of the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis.; ARTHUR GRANTZ, an expert on Alaskan and Arctic geology; and KEITH KVENVOLDEN, whose gas hydrate studies have contributed to economic and environmental studies.

OBITUARIES

WILLIAM J. SANDO was a member of the Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey for 40 years. He earned his Ph.D. in geology from The Johns Hopkins University in 1953. His research focused on the study of fossil corals and how their evolution documented the ancient geological history of the Rocky Mountains. His investigations produced a large fossil collection, which is now in the National Museum of Natural History. Sando retired from the survey in 1993, but continued his research at the museum until 1995. October 1996.

GALEN KNUTSEN, Cyprus-Amax Minerals Company's exploration manager for Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, died last fall when Aeroperu flight 603 crashed off the coast of Lima, Peru. A certified professional geologist and member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists, Knutsen directed the U.S. Bureau of Mines Intermountain Field Operations Center from 1992 until the agency was abolished early last year. He managed mineral assessment efforts, environmental studies programs, and abandoned mine inventory projects, and headed an international team of experts that helped the government of Peru establish environmental guidelines for that nation's energy and mining industries. Before joining the bureau, Knutsen worked as an exploration geologist and exploration manager for Newmont Mining Corp. The company recognized Knutsen's success in locating and developing world-class gold deposits with its select "Gold Finder Award." October 1996.