Gordon Pryor Eaton (born March 9, 1929) is an American geologist. Eaton was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. He currently resides in

Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley ( East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of Colleg ...

, with his wife, Virginia. They have two grown children.

Life and career

Dr. Eaton graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

, with high Honors, High Distinction and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

and

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

recognition, with a B.A. in Geology in 1951; received an M.S. in Geology from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

in 1953; and a Ph.D. in Geology and

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' so ...

in 1957 from the

. At Wesleyan he was a member of

Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek Letter Organizations#Greek letters, Greek-let ...

fraternity. Dr. Eaton held a number of academic positions. Eaton taught as his alma mater from 1955–1959. From 1959 to 1967, he was an assistant professor, associate professor, and chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...

. From 1986 to 1990, Eaton served as President of

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

. On March 24, 1994, Dr. Gordon P. Eaton became the 12th Director of the

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...

. From October 1990 to March 1994, he served as the Director of Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Palisades, New York Palisades, formerly known as Sneden's Landing (pronounced SNEE-dens), is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York. It is located north of Rockleigh and Alpine, New Jersey; east of Tappan; south of Sparkill; and west of t ...

. From 1986 to 1990, Dr. Eaton was President of the

in Ames, Iowa. From 1967 to 1981, he held various positions with the

, including Associate Chief Geologist, Reston, Virginia and Scientist-in-charge,

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is an agency of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and one of five volcano observatories operating under the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Based in Hilo, Hawaii, the observatory monitors six Hawaiian volcan ...

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, Hawaii. Dr. Eaton is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitch ...

, and the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's a ...

. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and American Men and Women of Science. He was a member of committee on the formation of the National Biological Survey,

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

. He has also served on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the Ocean Studies Board of the

Awards and honors

Eaton Hall
on the campus of

is named for Dr. Eaton.

Publications

* ''Epeirogeny in the Southern Rocky Mountains region; evidence and origin''Geosphere, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 764–784, Oct 2008 * ''Once a geologist, always a... the path to a university presidency... and back again'' The Compass, vol.79, no.1, pp. 27–28, 2005 * ''Disinformation, misinformation, or myths?'' Geotimes, vol.42, no.8, pp. 5, Aug 1997 * ''The new U. S. Geological Survey; environment, resources, and the future'' Environmental Geosciences, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 3–10, Mar 1997 * ''The future of national geological surveys; global challenges, global opportunities'' Renewable Resources Journal, vol.13, no.2, pp. 14–17, 1995 * ''A tectonic redefinition of the Southern Rocky Mountains'' Tectonophysics, vol.132, no.1-3, pp. 163–193, 15 Dec 1986 * ''Recommendations for research in determining the probability of mineral occurrence'' with Robert G. Garrett. U.S. Geological Survey Circular No. 0980, pp. 278–282, 1986 * ''Mineral abundance in the North American Cordillera'' American Scientist, vol.72, no.4, pp. 368–377, Aug 1984 * ''The Basin and Range Province; origin and tectonic significance'' Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, vol.10, pp. 409–440, 1982 * ''The 1977 eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii'' Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol.7, no.3-4, pp. 189–210, May 1980

References

Additional sources

Iowa State University - Gordon P. Eaton Papers, 1972-1991

External links

Oral history interview with Gordon Eaton on 8 July 1997, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Session I
Oral history interview with Gordon Eaton on 4 August 1997, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Session II
Portrait of Gordon Eaton
from

Museum Collection
Photograph of Gordon P. Eaton
from the U.S. Geological Survey
About USGS: Directors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Gordon P. American geologists Presidents of Iowa State University Wesleyan University alumni California Institute of Technology alumni Columbia University faculty United States Geological Survey personnel 1929 births Living people People from Dayton, Ohio