(News of Members continued from page 58)
Mitch Ward I am employed at an environmental remediation company with job sites across the country. Fortunately, most projects I work on are considered essential, so the COVID-19 related challenges I have faced this year have consisted of adjusting procedures so that work can still be completed safely. This has included the development of safety protocols to mitigate COVID-19 risks and adapting to widespread remote working and restrictions on travel. It is encouraging to work with people confronting such an immense and unwieldy challenge. In the spirit of hope, just prior to the pandemic, my girlfriend and I became engaged. We have been planning a small wedding for this summer, optimistic the world will soon be in better condition for us to host a party. (End)
In Memory of Father James Skehan A man of faith and science, James W. Skehan, SJ -- founder of Boston College's Geology Department, long-time director of the University's Weston Observatory, and a renowned geologist, who was honored for his contributions to earth science by the naming of a half-billion-yearold genus of trilobite after him -- died on Nov. 1 at the age of 97. Father Skehan's scientific work focused on the geology of the Northeastern United States and the Avalon terrane, which extends from Belgium to the southern Appalachians. He wrote the "Roadside Geology of Massachusetts," a 400-page illustrated guide to the geological history and makeup of the Commonwealth, and followed that with "Roadside Geology of Connecticut and Rhode Island." Father Skehan founded the Boston College Department of Geology (now Earth and Environmental Sciences) in 1958 and served as its first chairman. From 1973 to 1993, he directed Boston College's Weston (Memorial continued on page 60)
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