Professor Emeritus
Bill Kelly, who joined our Department in 1956, passed away at the age of 94. He served as Chair of the Department from 1978-81 and guided our transition toward grant-supported research. He went on to serve the University in several ways, including Vice-President for Research from 1990-93, and he retired in 1994. Bill worked on ore deposits all over the world and was one of the first to develop new ways of imaging and analyzing fluid inclusions, which provided essential information on the movement of fluids and elements in the crust. He was President of the Society of Economic Geologists and was awarded their Penrose Medal. At Michigan, he was principal advisor to 35 MSc and 27 PhD students who went on to lead mining companies and economic geology programs. More information on Bill’s many other professional achievements, as well as his life with his wife Anna and two children, will be available later in a formal obituary.
