During the 1950s Bob began to teach a class on non-metallic mineral deposits at OSU. The lack of a relevant text on the subject encouraged the production of Geology of the Industrial Rocks and Minerals in 1960, which was reprinted in paperback in 1969 and remained available until quite recently. In 1984 Bob and I co-authored Geology of the Nonmetallics, followed by a second edition in 1990 entitled Industrial Minerals - Geology and World Deposits. Working with Bob was an experience to remember. He had a magic touch with words which would transform a rambling five sentence paragraph into a punchy single sentence that said it all; and this only with a red pen and a furrowed brow. In fact, I still see Bob's disapproving face every time I use the computer's spell checker!
Without it he was a prolific writer and devoted to geology. With Julia A. Jackson, he compiled and edited much enlarged editions of the American Geological Institute's Glossary of Geology (1980, 1987). Work for the next edition was underway when he died. In contrast, he also wrote four books on geology and minerals for younger and nonspecialist readers; a fifth with Julia Jackson entitled Our Modern Stone Age was awarded a prize by the New York Academy of Sciences. As one leafs through his many books, articles, and even Christmas verse it is clear that he was a true Renaissance man; his was a literary as well as scientific intellect that loved wit in words, sting in a sentence, and precision in a paragraph. He once described the English language as ". . . an enormously adaptable means of transmitting a 'cerebral itch' from one mind to another . . . " While his list of honours is long and impressive -- Hardinge Award of SME, Parker Memorial Award of AIPG, Association of Earth Science Editors' Award for Outstanding Editorial or Publishing Contributions, and AGI Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Understanding of Geology to mention some -- it is this written legacy that will prove a lasting and useful one and an international resource for years to come.
