b'PeopleNewswas put to Ron. The concept behindfull support. Within four years, Ronsthat it had led the way in integrating this proposal recognised that thedepartment had 20 well-funded andacademic and industry needs. After department had students capable offully supported post graduate students.just 15 years Rons department was problem solving in the explorationDuring this time Ron had independentlytaken away from him, but in that and instrumentation arena. It alsoestablished a wonderful relationshiptime he had achieved a lot, and the recognised that the industry hadwith the Indonesian Resources Ministry,accomplishments of his students specific problems it wanted solved,and many outstanding students camespeak for themselves.and they had field sites where thesefrom this Indonesian source. In 1986 the ASEG inaugurated the problems were being encountered. InGrahame Sands Award for Innovation addition, industry had state-of-the-artSadly Australian universities werein Applied Geoscience. Nearly half (six) commercial instrumentation that wasnot as engaged with industry in 1978of the first 14 Grahame Sands Award unaffordable for teaching purposes. Ifas they are today, and the GRI wasrecipients were graduates of Rons industry and the university were to workcondemned within the universitydepartment.together exploration technologies couldas a threat to academic freedom. be advanced, and useful graduatesConveniently, Rons 20 post-graduateRons students respected him, called familiar with the latest technologiesstudents were attractive bait to anhim their Prof, and are forever grateful could be produced, most economically,overstaffed Geology Departmentfor the guidance he gave them in with the research and field work fundednext door. In business parlance atheir education. Thanks Ron and by industry. Moreover, none of Ronstakeover was inevitable, and ancongratulations on your longevity and small staff of two had had explorationEarth Sciences Department resulted.great contributions to Australian and experience in industry, and by workingThe GRI was permitted to continueglobal geophysics!on collaborative projects the industryindependently, but was to be self-sponsor could provide invaluable co- sufficient and, at least initially, not to supervision. The proposed GRI wouldbe involved with students. It was aJohn M Stanley and Phillip W Schmidt be a benefit to all parties, and Ronstrange transition period, and soon(former students of Ron Green)recognised this instantly, giving it hisafterwards the UNE was to boastjohn.m.stanley1947@gmail.comVale: Margaret Sites Sheriff (19252020)Margaret was born in Salina, Kansasthe first draft of Bobs book A First on November 28, 1925. She was raisedCourse in Geophysical Exploration and in Salina and attended Kansas StateInterpretation by transcribing tapes of University for two years, studyinghis lectures and notes. After their six chemistry. She moved to Oak Ridge,children were grown, Margaret joined Tennessee in 1944, obtaining a job withBob on his many US and international the Manhattan Project in order to savetrips to teach geophysical short courses; enough money to finish college after thethese trips took Margaret and Bob all war. In Oak Ridge Margaret met Robert E.over the world, including Australia, from Sheriff, another Project employee. Theythe 1980s through the 2000s.married on October 13, 1945. Margaret and Bob endowed several After the war Margaret and Bob movedSEG Scholarships for international to Ohio, Bobs home state, to finish theirstudents wishing to continue their educations at Ohio State University.studies in geophysics at the University Margaret completed her BS in Geology,of Houston. They also established the Phi Beta Kappa, in 1947, and thenendowed Faculty Chair in Applied worked as a chemist for Bechtel LabsSeismology, an endowment in Applied while Bob finished graduate school.Geophysics, an endowed Professorship In 1950, after Bob received his PhD,in Sequence Stratigraphy and an Margaret and Bob moved to southernendowed Professorship in Geophysics California where Bob began his careerat the College of Natural Sciences and with Standard of California (Chevron).Mathematics of the University of Houston.Bobs career took them from CaliforniaMargaret was widowed in 2014 (Bobs Margaret Sheriff to Florida, back to California, Trinidad,obituary was published in Preview 174). Western Australia, back to Louisiana and,She and Bob were a remarkable couple ultimately to Houston, Texas in 1970. with an astonishing legacy.Many ASEG Members will be saddenedMargaret was instrumental in supporting to learn of the death of Margaret SitesBob with his geophysical writing,John Denham Sheriff on May 24 2020. serving as first editor, and even writingjjd@skymesh.com.auAUGUST 2020 PREVIEW 10'