Skip died in Casper, Wyo., Oct. 16, 2023.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 3, 1932, Skip earned a bachelor’s degree in geology at Cornell in 1954, then earned his Ph.D. in geology at Princeton in 1960.
After graduating from Cornell, Skip served as an Air Force second lieutenant at Westover Air Force Base near Springfield, Mass. His security clearance as a military officer influenced his selection as a graduate assistant to Professor Harry Hess *32 at Princeton, a pioneer in mapping seafloor spreading to explain plate tectonics. Skip’s fieldwork in central Wyoming was the basis of his doctoral dissertation.
He returned to Casper in January 1960 to work as a geologist for Marathon Oil. In 1967, Skip left Marathon to forge a career as an independent geologist. He and his father were active in the Wyoming Geological Association (WGA) and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Skip received the distinguished service award from the WGA in 1977. He and three fellow geologists constructed an office building, Overland Plaza, near the Platte River.
Predeceased by his wife, Hi, Skip is survived by daughters Tam Bryfogle ’78, Cathleen Toups, Carol Westbrook, and Donna Curry; six grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.