ALEXANDRIA,VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that William E. Crain and Robert L. Heller (posthumous) will receive the William B. Heroy, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service. The award will be presented on Sunday, March 10, in Houston, during the AGI Past Presidents and Guests dinner held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, an affiliated member society. The Heroy Award is presented annually to a geoscientist in recognition of outstanding service to the Institute and to the geoscience profession.

    Crain and Heller were instrumental in generating the vision and support for the development of AGI’s new and innovative secondary-school Earth science curricula. “With the geosciences affecting so many aspects of our lives and our society,” noted Marcus E. Milling, AGI Executive Director, “Bill and Bob both recognized early on the need for strong, new and creative educational programs in the Earth sciences so that the next generation has the scientific background to make well-informed decisions.” Added Milling, “Bill’s and Bob’s personal commitment and joint leadership in pursuing this important investment in the future of our society and our profession qualifies them for this Distinguished Service Award.”

    Bill Crain, working with Bob Heller, initially secured financial support from Chevron Corporation to begin the development of Investigating Earth Systems™, a nine-unit program for middle-school students. In 1997, Crain continued this effort, together with Jan van Sant, Executive Director of the AGI Foundation, and Thomas Hamilton of EEX Corporation, in successfully raising $2.5 million for AGI educational programs over the next three years. Crain also helped increase the effectiveness of the AGI Foundation by enlisting the senior geologists of major petroleum corporations and independent producers to actively support the goals and participate in the activities of AGI and the AGI Foundation.

    Crain had a distinguished career as a geologist and senior executive with Chevron Corporation  before retiring in 1994 as Vice President of Chevron’s worldwide exploration and production activities and a member of Chevron’s Board of Directors. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota – Duluth and served in the U.S. Air Force. Crain is a long-time member of the AGI Foundation. He currently lives in Danville, CA, with his wife, Jean.

    Heller, who passed away in 1993, established the geology department at the University of Minnesota – Duluth where he taught a variety of courses. Over the years, he advanced from professor to chancellor of the Duluth campus. Heller was passionate about educating young people and in the 1960s served as director of AGI’s Earth Science Curriculum Project (ESCP) and editor of Investigating the Earth, AGI’s flagship Earth science textbook. He was President of the National Association of Geology Teachers from 1976 to 1977 and was President of AGI in 1979. Heller received the Ian Campbell Award from AGI in 1985.

    To date, the Investigating Earth Systems™ curriculum has been adopted in 26 states. This program, along with the 5-unit Earth System Science in the Community (EarthComm™) for grades 9-12, is being developed in accordance with the National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science – Project 2061’s Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Both curricula consist of inquiry-based modules that can be used as stand-alone units or as a full course presented in any order. They are commercially available from It’s About Time Publishing (www.its-about-time.com).

    The American Geological Institute's Distinguished Service Award is presented in honor of one of the outstanding geologists of the 20th century, William B. Heroy, Jr. Heroy advanced the use of geophysics in petroleum exploration and in geologic research worldwide. Recipients of this award are measured against his exemplary career.

    The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 39 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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