John Geissman, a Professor Emeritus of Geoscience at the University of Texas at Dallas and a Professor Emeritus at the University of New Mexico and Adjunct Full Professor at the University of Michigan. He was born in Rockford, Illinois. He received a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Geology (now Earth and Environmental Sciences) from the University of Michigan. After two years of postdoctoral study at the University of Toronto, he joined the Geology and Geological Engineering Faculty at the Colorado School of Mines, where he taught for four years. He moved to the University of New Mexico in 1984 and retired in 2010, when he joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Dallas. John Geissman’s research interests focused on paleomagnetism and rock magnetism and their use in addressing geologic problems, in particular in structural geology, sedimentation, tectonics, and magmatic processes. John Geissman has served in numerous university and professional society positions. He was Faculty Senate President at the University of New Mexico for two and a half years, Chair of the Committee on Governance for two years, and Chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UNM. He has served on several editorial boards, was the Editor for the Geological Society of America Bulletin for six years and the Solid Earth Science Editor for Eos for ten years, and was Editor in Chief of Tectonics for six years. He has served on several National Science Foundation advisory and review panels for the Earth Sciences and, as Council Member for the Geological Society of America, was Chair of its Publications Committee. He served as President of the Geological Society of America from 2011 to 2012. He is past Chair of the Structural Geology and Tectonics Division of GSA. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. John Geissman has published over 300 papers, and has given hundreds of invited scientific presentations. Among personal accomplishments, he succeeded with the University of New Mexico Regents and Administration to get an Honorary Degree from UNM for Dr. Eugenie Scott, Director of the National Center for Science Education and, as President of GSA, presented Mr. Bill McKibben, Founder of 350.org) with the GSA President’s Medal. In retired years, John continues to strive to finish numerous manuscripts that should have been finished years ago while leading a new part-time life as one of the Wine Staff at the local Total Wine and More store, where he educates numerous customers on the relevance of geologic processes to the production of fine fermented grape juices.
