Gordon Pryor Eaton (March 9, 1929 – July 2, 2022) was an American geologist. Eaton was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

Life and career

Dr. Eaton graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

, with high Honors, High Distinction and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

and

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is an international non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest ...

recognition, with a B.A. in Geology in 1951; received an M.S. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology in 1953; and a Ph.D. in Geology and

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

in 1957 from the California Institute of Technology. At Wesleyan he was a member of Delta Upsilon 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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...

. From 1967 to 1981, he held various positions with the U.S. Geological Survey, including Associate Chief Geologist,

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and a principal city of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Rest ...

, and scientist-in-charge, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. He was successively dean of the College of Geosciences and provost and vice president for academic affairs at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

between 1981 and 1986. From 1986 to 1990, Eaton served as the 12th president of

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

. On March 24, 1994, Dr. Gordon P. Eaton became the 12th Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, retiring from the post in 1997. Dr. Eaton was a member of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, the Geological Society of America, and the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, Atmospheric science, atmospheric, Oceanography, ocean, Hydrology, hydrologic, Astronomy, space, and Planetary science, planetary scientists and enthusiasts that ...

. He was 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. He also served on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council. Eaton died on July 2, 2022, in Bryan, Texas.

Awards and honors

* Eaton Hall on the campus of

was named for Eaton when it opened in 2002.

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. -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 U.S. Geological Survey 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 2022 deaths Scientists from Dayton, Ohio Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory people Delta Upsilon members