Preston Cloud
| Preston Cloud | |
|---|---|
| Born | Preston Ercelle Cloud, Jr September 26, 1912 West Upton, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | January 16, 1991 (aged 78) |
| Fields | Paleontology, Geography |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley |
| Alma mater | George Washington University |
| Known for | Work on Geologic time scale and the Origin of Life |
Preston Ercelle Cloud, Jr. (September 26, 1912 – January 16, 1991) was an American paleontologist, geographer, and professor. He was best-known for his work on the geologic time scale and the origin of life on Earth.
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[edit] Early life
Cloud was born in West Upton, Massachusetts and grew up in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania where he developed a love for the outdoors. Preston had a weak high school record. Upon graduating from high school, Cloud spent three years in the United States Navy (1930-1933) where he excelled at boxing.
[edit] Higher education
Despite the difficulties of finding employment and getting into a four year college during the Great Depression, Preston paid for his own first semester at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C..
An influential figure in Cloud's life was Dr. Ray Bassler, a professor and the curator of paleontology at the National Museum of Natural History. Bassler noticed Cloud's interest in his work, and he arranged for the student to work at the museum. Later on, he worked with G. Arthur Cooper, a paleontologist and stratigrapher. Under Cooper, Preston learned much about fossils, especially those of brachiopods. He worked full-time at the museum, but he graduated in 1938, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. Cooper financially allowed for Preston to attend Yale University, which he did.
In 1961, Preston focused on academia. He was the chairman of the geology department at the University of Minnesota for four years. As the professor of biogeology, he spent three years at the University of California at Los Angeles and six years at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
In 1972, Preston coined the term "Hadean" for the Hadean geologic eon, referring to the Earth's magma state of constant heat by using the Greek word for the Underworld.
Cloud was a member of the National Academy for thirty years, he was chairman of the Geology Section and occupied positions in its Council and Executive Committee.
[edit] Personal life
In graduate school, Preston was engaged to Mildred Porter. When Preston resigned from Harvard, they were divorced. In his time at Washington, he married Frances Webster, with whom he had three children, Karen, Lisa and Kevin. As Preston left for Minnesota, they were divorced, but kept in touch because of the children.
In Santa Barbara, Preston met and married Janice Gibson, an opera singer and mother of three children herself.
[edit] Awards
- 1941, awarded the A. Cressey Morrison Award in Natural History, New York Academy of Science
- 1956, awarded the Rockefeller Public Service Award
- 1956, elected an honorary fellow of the Paleontological Society of India
- 1959, awarded the Department of Interior Distinguished Service Award
- 1971, awarded the Paleontological Society of America Medal
- 1973, awarded the Lucius Wilbur Cross Medal
- 1973, elected to the American Philosophical Society
- 1976, awarded the Penrose Medal by the Geological Society of America
- 1977, awarded the Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal by the National Academy of Sciences[1]
- 1980, elected a Foreign Member, Polish Academy of Sciences
[edit] Sources
- ^ "Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal". National Academy of Sciences. http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_walcott. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- John C. Crowell: Preston Cloud – September 26, 1912–January 16, 1991. National Academy of Sciences, Biographical Memoirs V. 67, 1995
- Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 136, No. 2 (Jun., 1992), pp. 280-287
