Alexandria, VA -- The American Geological Institute (AGI) announces Dr. M. Ray Thomasson as the 2006 William B. Heroy, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI recipient. This annual award is given in recognition of exceptional long-term service and support of AGI programs and activities.
Thomasson has served in a number of leadership roles for AGI, including as the first Chair of the independent AGI Foundation, as a Trustee of the AGI Foundation, and as AGI President in 2003. He has been instrumental in the development of a number of AGI outreach activities, including nurturing relationships between AGI and the National Park Service, promoting the development geoscience-oriented children's books, and championing the development of the forthcoming Faces of Earth TV series being produced in cooperation with The Science Channel. His leadership in the areas of outreach has extended beyond AGI, including campaigning for additional support for the Geological Society of America's GeoCorps program that places geoscientists in the National Parks.
Thomasson obtained both a B.S. and a M.S. from the University of Missouri and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. He has received Distinguished Alumni awards from both institutions. Thomasson worked in management for Shell Oil Company, as Vice President of Exploration for McCormick Oil and Gas, Inc., as President of Spectrum Oil and Gas, Inc., and as President of Pend Oreille Oil and Gas, Inc. In 1990, he founded Thomasson Partner Associates, Inc., a firm that generates and promotes high-potential exploration projects to industry. In addition to strong leadership roles at AGI, Thomasson has also been President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
Dr. Thomasson's constant involvement and support of AGI, and the geoscience community as a whole, has made him very deserving of this award.
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 44 scientific and professional associations that represent more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in mankind's use of resources and interaction with the environment. More information about AGI can be found at http://www.agiweb.org. The Institute also provides a public-outreach web site, http://www.earthscienceworld.org.