75th Field Camp Alumni Reunion in Ephraim, Utah

Field Camp 2022 marked the 75^th anniversary of The Ohio State University Geology program in the Sanpete Valley, Utah.  To commemorate this milestone a committee (Mike Braunagel, David Elliot, Ashley Griffith, Shelley Judge, Cristina Millan, and Terry Wilson) planned a 4-day field camp alumni reunion designed to revisit some of our program’s most iconic sites, visit new and active areas of research involving OSU faculty and students, and reminisce, through alumni and faculty storytelling, on the long history of our program.

We had an enthusiastic group of nearly 90 participants, with alumni ranging from Field Camp 1955 to Field Camp 2013.  Current and emeritus Field Camp faculty and invited geology experts gave presentations at the different field sites.  We spent time at Salina Canyon and Wales Gap, where Jim Collinson, David Elliot, and Terry Wilson (SES emeritus faculty) spoke about the significance of these sites to Sanpete Valley geology.  Tom Chidsey (Utah Geological Survey emeritus) gave a presentation on the important oil discoveries of the Providence Well (Covenant Field) in Sanpete County.  David Elliot (SES emeritus faculty) reflected on the volcanic history of the Marysvale Volcanic Province.  Bob Biek (Utah Geological Survey emeritus) and Mike Braunagel (SES Ph.D. student) delighted everyone with their new research on the Markagunt gravity slide.

Along with the excellent geology, other highlights of the reunion were the sunrises from Bryce Canyon rim, photos, videos, and fun stories by alumni and emeritus faculty, a presentation by Charlie Corbató’s son, Steve, on his father’s career and legacy at Ohio State, and a very special event to honor past Field Camp directors.  Steve Corbató (standing-in for Charlie, who passed in July 2021), Jim Collinson, David Elliot, & Terry Wilson were presented with commemorative medallions by Steven Lower (SES Director) in recognition of their years dedicated to making our program one of the best in the country.  The medallions, designed by SES, are engraved with Spieker’s Unconformity at Salina Canyon and a quote by E.M. Spieker.

For those of you who could not make this past summer’s reunion, there will be more reunions to come.  In the meantime, we have created a commemorative booklet (available here) that contains interesting facts about our 75 years of history, a photographic compilation of field camp instructors throughout the years, class group photos, OSU theses, dissertations and publications on Utah geology, and photographs of 75 years of field camp moments.  Enjoy!