Well, those of you who weren't there, you missed a great time. Our first reunion of OSU geology field camp alumni met in Prineville and Mitchell the weekend of June 27-29, 2003. Part of the alumni group met in Corvallis on Friday morning and got a tour of the department's current facilities in Wilkinson Hall.

This group met the remainder in Prineville on Friday afternoon for a reception and dinner ( a cozy affair for 52) where we shared photos and stories for several hours. I made a short presentation on the current state of the department (pretty darn good) - over 20 faculty - 150 undergraduate majors - almost 100 graduate students - and a strong commitment to a balance between field and laboratory science. John Dilles spoke on the current state of the field camp, which is also good. This year we have 35 students and stable finances, although we need constant input of new funds for replacement of hardware. In addition, new technologies are coming on line that will require resources we currently do not have.

Ed Taylor made a presentation on the 70 year history of field techniques education at OSU. Most interesting was his explanation for why students now have our industry- and alumni-supported field station instead of tents and war surplus cook stoves. The alumni displayed their approval with a heartfelt round of hoots of derision. However, Ed was very persistent and convincing in making the point that the education program has benefitted greatly from being able to focus on the teaching, as opposed to having the faculty and students spend all their time working on the infrastructure. Following Ed's excursion into the past, many of the attendees shared stories of their favorite memories of people, places, and peanut butter. There are links on the menu page that will take you to a complete list of all participants and to a photo album of the reunion.

On Saturday we all gathered in Mitchell for field trips down memory lane beginning with an overlook of the Mitchell Fault lead by Ed and Al. The field trip continued to the Painted Hills where we ate lunch and then split up into two groups. Most of the alumni chose to try and chase down the students in Meyers Canyon (with varying success) in the afternoon. The remainder, went with Al Niem on a series of stops around Mitchell. In the evening we all got together for a BBQ dinner with the current field camp students, making a total of almost 90 for supper. Dale, the camp cook, managed to pull it off with amazing efficiency with the help of the Nicole Armstrong, a 2002 alumnus, who helped me organize this event (many, many thanks).

On Sunday we dispersed to our various vacations/homes and picked up the pieces. A few stayed around for a couple of days to do some fossil hunting and camping. Meanwhile, I came back to put on the yoke.Several of you who attended have asked me the best way to make sure that any contribution that you make goes to a specific need, the field camp for example. Obviously, the department has many needs and can best use resources that are provided to the Geosciences Unrestricted Fund by sending us donations made out to the OSU Foundation but with "Geosciences Unrestricted" in the memo line. However, if you wish your donations to be used for the support of field camp, send them to me c/o the Department of Geosciences, 104 Wilkinson Hall, OSU, Corvallis, OR, 97331-5506. Make the checks out to the OSU Foundation and put "Geology Field Camp Endowment" in the memo line.

Sincerely,
Roger Nielsen
Chair, Department of Geosciences

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