In Memoriam
Kenneth Clark (1933 – 2022)
Dr. Kenneth F. Clark, Professor Emeritus, Economic Geology, Univ. of Texas at El Paso and Senior Fellow – SEG, passed away March 5, 2022 in El Paso, Texas following a brief illness. Kenneth was born April 4, 1933 in Liverpool, U.K. Upon
receiving his BSc. (Hons.) in Geology and Physics from The University of Durham, England in 1956, Kenneth began his professional career as a Field Geologist for Anglo-American Corp. of South Africa, where he was involved in reconnaissance exploration and project evaluation programs for gold in Tanzania and alluvial diamond deposits in Namibia from 1956 to 1960. He was subsequently accepted to graduate program at The University of New Mexico where he received his M.S. – Geology degree in 1962, completing his thesis on hypogene metal zoning of the Lordsburg District, NM. Kenneth then went on to complete his PhD in Economic Geology at UNM in 1966, where his dissertation under the late Dr. Vincent Kelly, focused on the molybdenum porphyry deposits of the Eagle Nest Quadrangle, NM. Additionally, during this time Kenneth completed parallel courses in mining and metallurgy at the Colorado School of Mines and worked as a contracted exploration geologist in the western U.S. for Climax Metals.
Dr. Kenneth Clark began his academic career as an Assistant Professor in Economic Geology at Cornell University (1966-71). Subsequently, from 1971 – 1980, he served as Associate Professor of Economic Geology and Geophysics at The University of Iowa. It was during his tenure at Iowa that his focus on the metalliferous deposits of Mexico began. Subsequently, in 1981 Kenneth accepted a position at the University of Texas at El Paso where he served as Professor of Economic Geology. In addition, that same year he assumed the role as Business Manager of PUBCO, the publisher of Economic Geology, a position he held for 15 years until 1996.
It was during his tenure at UTEP that Kenneth’s studies and investigations of the mineral endowment and metalliferous deposits of Mexico and the Southwestern U.S. expanded in scope. A prolific writer and researcher, Kenneth was principal author to over 150 published research papers, articles and abstracts, many of which focused on the economic geology of the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico. This included the Geología Economica de México (2009) in which Kenneth Clark, along with Guillermo Salas-Pizá and Rodolfo Cubillas-Estrada served as principal editors on this 953 page compendium publication with documentation covering 110 separate metallic ore and industrial minerals deposits throughout Mexico. Kenneth also served as SEG 1993 Thayer Lindsley Visiting Lecturer on Metallogenic Provinces and Epochs of Mexico and Gold & Silver Deposits of Mexico.
Upon retirement in 2001 from UTEP Kenneth was conveyed Emeritus status. Known for his technical discipline, Dr. Clark served as a positive and lasting influence among his graduate students. Accordingly, it was a former students’ contribution in 2018 that Kenneth was honored by The University of Texas at El Paso with in the creation of the Kenneth and Patricia Clark Distinguished Chair in Economic Geology, in recognition of his career contributions. Importantly, this has formally endowed the study of economic geology at UTEP, which began in 1913 as The Texas State School of Mining and Metallurgy. In September 2019, Dr. Antonio Arribas, SEG’s 2013 President, became the inaugural holder of the Kenneth F. and Patricia Clark Distinguished Chair.
Lewis Teal, Senior Fellow SEG
DEPARTMENT BROCHURE
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You may download a PDF version, here: Department Brochure
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
January 2021
Chair’s Message – Spring 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has done huge damage to the world, our nation and our region. The loss of life, jobs, and social interactions has been an ordeal few of us ever dreamed we would have to endure. The resolve shown by our students, staff and faculty has been impressive. The patience and creativity with which everyone has met this challenge is impressive.
Of particular note, Dr. Jose Hurtado turned field class into a virtual experience and successfully was able to deliver a course that was able to provide students much of the same experiences and skills development as an in-person course. He presented this innovative instruction methodology at the 2020 Geological Society of America meeting – Simulated Planetary Rover Operations as a Model for Teaching Field Geology with Jesse Moore Kelsch and Aaron Conley. This methodology can be replicated for other courses and would likely be very useful for physically-impaired students. Congratulations Jose, Jesse and Aaron!
Now that vaccinations are becoming available, I hope everyone will be vaccinated when their turn comes up. This is not only for the sake of you and your loved ones, defeating the virus means stopping its replication and inevitable mutation into a new strain. The world depends upon as many as people getting vaccinated as possible so we can eradicate SARS-Cov-2 and end the COVID-19 pandemic as soon as possible. I, for one, certainly do not want to re-live 2020 again in 2021, 2022, 2023 . . .
Please join us as UTEP Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences moves forward to learn more about how we are using education and research to help society deal with today’s complex geological, environmental, and energy issues. We are happy to include you in our efforts.
James Kubicki
Chair
Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences
LINK to FULL CHAIR'S MESSAGE:
