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Book Cover for: Anecdotes of a Lifetime: Memoirs of a Professional Geologist, Michael D. Campbell

Anecdotes of a Lifetime: Memoirs of a Professional Geologist

Michael D. Campbell

This book chronicles the struggles and successes of a boy of the 1940s from a lower-middle class family in central Ohio in becoming a prominent professional geologist well known in the U.S. and around the world. His memoirs are a testament of his commitment to moving forward, to learning more, while confronting serious impediments. Pure luck, combined with support and encouragement provided by his mother and father, by his grade-school principal, by his high-school friends and teachers, by some of his college professors, by many of his employers, and by his first wife's assistance, his second wife's unerring support and assistance, his son's invaluable capabilities in the field and in computers, and with the moral support of his daughters and his sister and brother, allowed him to go after his dreams of traveling the world in worthwhile pursuits.


His story should provide incentives to those coming from the lower economic levels of American society, where commitment builds confidence, which fosters success, the principal thread throughout the story is of a little boy growing into manhood and professional maturity illustrated by anecdotes of mistakes and successes along the way that impacted and reinforced his personal development, critical thinking and behavior throughout his life as a professional geologist, husband, father and grandfather.


His professional experiences after leaving Ohio in the decades that followed, combined with his earlier experiences as a Boy Scout and at summer camp, allowed him to overcome the potentially deadly environments in the Outback of Australia, the language issues while in many countries in Europe, and the potential political issues prevalent in Africa, and even in Vietnam many years after the Vietnam War ended. As a result, he became a well-known leader in geology and hydrogeology in the mining industry and in the environmental engineering industry, finishing with the leadership position in the DuPont environmental group in Houston. During those years he had to deal with ethical and criminal issues in the mining industry, involving the ACLU at one time and the Mafia at another time, and ethical and managerial issues in the environmental industry at later times. He soon focused on geological research because it seeks to establish the physical characteristics and conditions of the Earth's natural resources and reveals the impact on the environment created by nature and/or by some industries.


Earlier in his career, he produced a major textbook published by McGraw-Hill (1973) with the assistance of one of his college professors that sold some 40,000 copies worldwide and then later encouraged him to produce many scientific papers, reports, and book chapters, together numbering more than 200 by last count. Another book on the geology of alternate energy resources was published in 1977 by the Houston Geological Society. Apparently, his leadership Myers-Briggs personality type, in addition to his resume of experience, were used to assess his fitness to lead groups of professionals in a number of geological engineering companies. He had become very marketable because of his skills as a bonafide hydrogeologist and leader allowing for substantial signing bonuses from three environmental engineering companies in the latter 1980s and 1990s. He devoted his time to managing his employees and contributed to professional societies and developed a major environmental training program for furloughed oil and gas professionals in the mid-1990s.


This is a book of anecdotes linked together with tangential stories and of digressions that convey the rest of the story in his engaging speaking style and stream of conscious recollections that those who have enjoyed his formal lectures will recognize and appreciate while, in the process, sharing poignant and refreshing insights on the world around him.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing
  • Publish Date: Feb 10th, 2023
  • Pages: 446
  • Language: English
  • Dimensions: 10.00in - 7.00in - 1.38in - 2.77lb
  • EAN: 9798888871959
  • Categories: GeneralGeneralGeneral

About the Author

Campbell, Michael D.: - Michael D. Campbell was born and raised in Lancaster, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Ohio State University in Geology and Hydrogeology in 1966 and of Rice University in Geology and Geophysics in 1976, and has been licensed as a Professional Geologist and Hydrogeologistin TX, LA, WY, WA, and Alaska. Over a career of almost 60 years, he has been elected a Fellow of many geological societies in the U.S. and around the world. He was a Founding Member in 1977 of the Energy Minerals Divisions of AAPG and was elected EMD President (2010-2011) and served as Chairman of the Uranium (Nuclear and REE) Committee (2004-2021). Since 2010, he has served as Chief Geologist / Hydrogeologist for I2M Associates, LLC and I2M Consulting, LLC based in Houston, Texas and Seattle, Washington. He is well- known nationally and internationally for his work as a technical leader, senior program manager, consultant and lecturer in hydrog ology, mineral exploration and mining and associated environmental and geotechnical investigations. He has traveled extensively throughout the world to such places as Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Japan, Vietnam, Palau, Sardinia, Italy, France, Germany and other countries on projects for the United Nations and UNESCO for developing or improving ground-water supplies and for large and small mining companies developing other natural resources. He has published three technical books on uranium, water well technology and other natural resources, and numerous associated reports, technical papers, and presentations in the U.S. and overseas. Mr. Campbell also has served the legal community over the years as an Expert Witness or Consulting Expert on more than 40 cases. In pro bono, he served as Principal Instructor for the Institute of Environmental Technology in the mid-1990s. In 2004, he was elected to the Lancaster High School (Ohio) Distinguished Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Mary, raised a family of 5 children, all now with college degrees, and have been married for some 45 years. For more: https: / /i2mconsulting.com/michael-d-campbell-pg-ph-curriculum-vitae/.
Moore, Daniel: - Daniel Moore is a journalist and writer covering energy and environmental issues for Bloomberg in Washington, D.C. Also a native of Lancaster, Ohio, he studied journalism and political science at Kent State University. He previously worked for seven years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He lives with his wife, Katherine, and two cats, Neko and Fred, in the nation's capital, where he is a member of the National Press Club. In his free time, he enjoys running, hiking and playing guitar.