ALEXANDRIA, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) will induct M. Ray Thomasson as President for 2003 during its reception and awards ceremony on Tuesday, October 29, at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, an affiliated member society. The ceremony takes place from 5:30-7:30 p.m., in the Denver Ballroom (I-IV) of the Marriott City Center Hotel in Denver. Following the installation, Thomasson will begin a one-year term of office.
 
    The 2003 Executive Committee that Thomasson will lead includes President-Elect Barbara Tewksbury, Hamilton College; Secretary David R. Wunsch, New Hampshire Geological Survey; Treasurer Steven L. Veal, DCX Resources, Ltd.; Member-at-Large Joseph A. Briskey Jr., U. S. Geological Survey; Member-at-Large R. Heather Macdonald, The College of William and Mary; Member-at-Large Priscilla Nelson, National Science Foundation; and Past President Steven M. Stanley, The Johns Hopkins University.

    An exploration geologist and geophysicist, Thomasson is President of Thomasson Partner Associates, Inc. (TPA), a firm he founded in 1990, which generates and promotes high-potential exploration projects to the industry. His company currently has projects in the Appalachian, Mid-continent, and Rocky Mountain regions in the U.S. and in New Zealand. Previously, he held management positions with Shell Oil Company in the United States and Europe. His last position with Shell was as Chief Geologist for Shell Oil U.S.A. Thomasson also served as Vice President of Exploration for McCormick Oil and Gas, Inc.; President of Spectrum Oil and Gas, Inc.; and President of Pend Oreille Oil and Gas, Inc.

    Thomasson is a Trustee of the American Geological Institute Foundation and previously served as its Chairman. He is Past President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and received the Distinguished Service Award from that association in 1995. Thomasson was a 1987-1988 AAPG distinguished lecturer on stratigraphic geophysics in carbonates, and he continues as an active lecturer at universities throughout the U.S. He will receive Honorary Membership in AAPG next year. Thomasson also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Missouri - Columbia and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Department of Geology and Geophysics.

    Thomasson’s publications include professional articles on turbidites, stratigraphy in West Texas, stratigraphy and structure in the western United States, international energy forecasts, principles of exploration, non-seismic exploration methods, synergistic exploration, and exploration opportunities in the Rocky Mountain region. His work has also appeared in the Journal of Geophysics and in Concepts and Techniques in Oil and Gas Exploration, published by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. He is co-editor of The Geologic Column volume, to be published later this year by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Thomasson earned undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the University of Missouri and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

    The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 40 geoscientific and professional associations that represent more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in mankind's use of resources and interaction with the environment. More information about AGI can be found at http://www.agiweb.org/. The Institute also provides a public-outreach web site, http://www.earthscienceworld.org/.
 

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