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History of the Geosciences Department at Texas Tech
The Department of Geology was established in 1926 under the chairmanship of Dr. Leroy T. Patton. In 1933, the departmental name was changed to the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering. In 1938, the Department of Geology and Petroleum Engineering was established, but in 1947 the name was reduced to Department of Geology. The change to Department of Geosciences was approved in 1963.
August 14, 1941, Texas Tech Summer Geological Field Trip, member on truck by barracs near Nogal, New Mexico. Top row, left to right: Howell Hamilton, George Ross, Neal McCaskill, Travis Moore, Vernon Bennett, Hugh Braley, Grant keyes, & Charles Renfroe. Bottom row, Forrest Bell, Robert SChmidt, Professor Leory T. Patton, & Pete Harmonson.
Dr. Patton served as the departmental chairman until 1949, at which time Dr. Raymond G. Sidwell assumed the duties. Dr. Sidwell resigned from the post in 1954 and Dr. F. Alton Wade, a former Professor of Geology at Miami University (Ohio), joined the department as its chairman. Dr. Wade served for ten years before requesting that he be relieved of administrative duties; the request was made because of his desire to conduct a more active research program on the geology of Antarctica. Dr. Richard B. Mattox succeeded Dr. Wade in the fall of 1964.
1927 Field Class, New Mexico
Dr. Mattox yielded the chairmanship to Dr. William D. Miller in 1971. After Dr. Miller’s untimely death in 1972, Dr. Donald R. Haragan assumed the chairmanship. Drs. William Conroy, Otis Templer, and Claude Davidson withdrew from the department to form the Department of Geography. With the partial separation of the Atmospheric Science Group, Dr. Haragan relinquished the chairmanship in 1977. Dr. Davies was chair from 1977 through 1980, after which Dr. Haragan resumed the chairmanship. In 1983, Dr. Haragan became an Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences; Dr. Alonzo Jacka became chair. In 1991, as part of a College policy of reducing the number of small departments the Atmospheric Science Group was folded back into the Department with Dr. Richard E. Peterson as chair.
1930 Field Class
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