NCGS Honorary Members
The Society’s Board of Directors recognizes exceptional people among NCGS members by granting them Honorary status.
Dan Day
Dan Day, now retired in Oregon, was the backbone of NCGS for many years. He was an officer for 18 straight years, holding all positions including President and, for over a decade, the key position of Secretary. For many years he published thorough summaries of the evening lectures in the newsletter, which he edited for nearly ten years. These summaries, now linked to their corresponding meeting in the Past Meetings page, are a reason cited by many as a major benefit of NCGS membership. He also contributed many field trip reports, now preserved on the website. Finally, Dan was the principal supplier of snacks for our meetings!
John Karachewski
John Karachewski has served a record 14 terms as Program Director and has also served as President and Counselor. Doris Sloan and John collaborated on the classic Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region, published in 2006. He has led many Bay Area geologic field trips for a local and national organization and has taught geology courses at Diablo Valley College. His geology-inspired photography has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Bay Nature and journals of the Geological Society of America, American Association of Petroleum Geologists and Groundwater Association of California. John is currently serving NCGS as Secretary.
Don Lewis
Don Lewis has been our unofficial NCGS Historian, with knowledge of the Society throughout its early years, and continues to document our history and participate in our activities. He has served NCGS as Program Director, President-Elect and President, and he advised us as a Counselor for 21 years. Don also has long been our active link to AAPG, keeping NCGS apprised of their activities, through his participation in the Pacific Section AAPG Advisory Council and his many years as Delegate to AAPG. He has received several honors from AAPG for his service, including Distinguished Member and Honorary Member.
Phil Reed
Phil Reed has served a record 13 terms as NCGS Treasurer, two terms as President-Elect, and one term as President. He also served eight years as Counselor and continues to provide valuable advice to the Society. Over the years, Phil has regularly volunteered and tirelessly represented NCGS at numerous community events and outreach activities.
Doris Sloan
Doris Sloan, retired adjunct professor at UC Berkeley, became an Honorary Member in 2019 in recognition of her great contributions to Bay Area geology and to students at UC Berkeley. She is the author of the highly popular 2006 book “Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region”, has led field trips around San Francisco and worldwide for many groups for many years, and is an editor for NCGS’s 2020 volume on Mount Diablo. The Bancroft Library features an oral history she recorded in 2022.
Mel Erskine
The late Mel Erskine had a long career as a well-known Bay Area consulting geologist with interests including mining and petroleum exploration, using all the tools from satellite imagery to geology and geophysics. Author of many papers on the geology of the western U.S., Mel was active in the NCGS for over three decades. He was President in 1991-92 and a Counselor for many years.
Larry Funkhouser
The late Larry Funkhouser was named an Honorary Member in 1987, when he was president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He retired that year from Standard Oil Company of California (Chevron) as Vice-president of Exploration and Production and a member of the Board of Directors. He was a geologist’s geologist and never tired of studying the geologic details of proposals despite his many business duties.
Ray Sullivan
The late Ray Sullivan, emeritus professor at San Francisco State University, was a widely acknowledged expert on the stratigraphy of Mount Diablo. He was the main driver and primary editor of the 2020 NCGS volume on Mount Diablo. He was an active NCGS member for decades and an officer for two decades beginning in 1993, including president in 1995 and a valued counselor afterward. He led many field trips for NCGS and numerous other groups.
Tom Wright
The late Thomas L. Wright was named an Honorary Member in 1989. After a 34-year career in the petroleum industry, Tom published a classic paper on the Los Angeles Basin and also was instrumental in moving industry seismic data into the public record for the Southern California Earthquake Center. He earned many honors from the AAPG. Tom was President of NCGS in 1974 and remained an active participant in NCGS activities and field trips right up to his passing. (More in the March 2017 newsletter)