GSA Medals & Awards

2006
Laurence L. Sloss Award

Gerald M. Friedman
Brooklyn College and Northeastern Science Foundation

Presented to Gerald M. Friedman

Citation by Larry D. Woodfork

“The Sloss Award is given annually to a sedimentary geologist whose lifetime achievements best exemplify those of Larry Sloss — i.e., achievements that contribute widely to the field of sedimentary geology and through service to GSA.” So reads the page concerning the Sloss Award at the GSA web site. To have been judged to meet that extremely high standard is a great honor indeed and I know of no one who merits it more than this year’s Sloss Award recipient — Gerry Friedman.

In the limited time available to me this evening, let me cite but a few of the many similarities between the nature and magnitude of Larry Sloss’ contributions to and achievements in the field of sedimentary geology and those of Gerry Friedman.

Both Sloss and Friedman are among the most gifted, engaging, highly respected, indeed revered, modern educators to have ever taught courses in sedimentary geology — Sloss at Northwestern and Friedman at RPI, Brooklyn College and the Graduate School of CUNY. In recognition of the high regard in which both were held, in 1996 AAPG presented both Larry and Gerry with its Distinguished Educator Award (now named the Grover E. Murray Distinguished Educator Award) at its annual convention in San Diego. (It is also worthy of note that Bob Weimer, a previous Sloss Award recipient, also received the AAPG distinguished educator award at that same ceremony.) Both Sloss and Friedman have authored landmark textbooks in sedimentary geology. In 1953, Sloss and Krumbein co-authored Stratigraphy and Sedimentation, which is now regarded as a classic in the field. In 1978, Friedman and Sanders co-authored Principles of Sedimentology, a well received, widely used, modern compendium that is destined to become a classic. Both of these textbooks have influenced countless students of sedimentary geology over several generations and continue to do so today.

Both Sloss and Friedman have been prolific researchers of the highest caliber. Their journal publications, like their textbooks, have been very influential and provided new insights and ideas concerning the nature and origin of sedimentary rocks, their depositional environments, diagenetic processes, etc., that have had profound implications for exploration and development of mineral and energy resources. In one of Gerry’s papers, he credits Sloss as being “the father of sequence stratigraphy.” Michael Rampino, professor of geology at New York University and one of Gerry’s former Ph.D. students, commenting in a recent article in Geotimes, stated, “I think Gerry is one of the people who has invented modern sedimentology.” Although probably best known for his work on carbonates, Gerry’s 50-page CV lists 500 publications on an astonishingly wide range of topics. For their outstanding contributions in sedimentary geology, SEPM has bestowed on both Sloss and Friedman its highest award in that area, the prestigious Twenhofel Medal. Other Sloss Award recipients who have also received the Twenhofel Medal are James Lee Wilson, Bob Weimer and William Dickinson.

Both Sloss and Friedman have had many former students who have gone on to outstanding careers and high positions in industry, academia and government throughout the world. Teresa Jordan, current chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell and last year’s recipient of the Sloss Award, is but one example. She was one of Gerry’s undergraduate students at RPI in the early 70s.

I could go on and on citing many more examples and similarities supporting my view that Larry Sloss and Gerry Friedman are sedimentary geologists “cast from the same mold” and “cut from the same cloth,” but I think I’ve made my point. I would be, however, remiss if I failed to include in my citation at least a bit about Gerry the man in addition to Gerry the scientist. Gerry is a devoted husband and family man. He is the father of five married daughters and has 18 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He is a man of high values and great integrity; a warm, outgoing, generous and compassionate man; a man of deep faith; an international geological ambassador of goodwill as well as a black belt in judo.

Gerry has stated in his recently published autobiography that the best decision he has made in life was to marry Sue Tyler (Theilheimer) in 1958. Without a doubt, Gerry and Sue have made quite a team over the past decades! Now, in the middle of his ninth decade, Gerry shows little sign of slowing down. He remains involved, productive and is still going strong — clearly, not yet content to just rest on his well earned laurels. Tonight, with presentation of the 2006 Sloss Award to Gerry Friedman, we recognize another Titan of the stature of Larry Sloss in the Pantheon of modern sedimentary geology. It has been my privilege and distinct pleasure to serve as his citationist. Ladies and gentlemen, let me now present my dear good friend, our colleague, and an inspiration to us all — Gerry Friedman.

2006 Laurence L. Sloss Award - Response by Gerald M. Friedman

I have lived my life on several levels. One of my interests is my desire to share with others. In this sharing I feel that Lawrence (Larry) L. Sloss (1913-1996) has been one of my partners. In 1966, two months before his death we both received the Distinguished Educators Award of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in San Diego (Fig.1). Larry and I had overlapping interests. In my textbook Principles of Sedimentology (Friedman and Sanders 1978) five references are cited relating to Larry’s studies. In the year 2000 in my paper “about relationship between new ideas and geologic terms in stratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy” in the Bulletin of the AAPG, I cited him seven times. In this same paper Larry has been “hailed as the father of sequence stratigraphy”. Among the strata covering North America, Sloss et al. (1949) named four sequences of which the most important at the base was the Sauk Sequence. In 1994, the year before Larry’s passing I published a paper on Sauk (Cambrian Ordovician Sauk platform carbonates) and in the year of his demise (1995) my topic was titled “intra-Sauk karst”.

After eight years as a senior member of the Research Center of Amoco Production Corporation, now BP, in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Senior Research Engineer, Senior Research Scientist, and Research Associate and Supervisor of Research in Sedimentary Geology), I transferred to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) wearing two hats: one as Professor of Sedimentary Geology and one as Editor of the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology (now Journal of Sedimentary Research). I was publisher of the results of research in sedimentary geology for the SEPM - Society for Sedimentary Geology. When I was first elected to the editorship, I had just won the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology's covetous Best-Paper Award (now Outstanding-Paper-Award) and my task was to guide this journal into the up-coming boom of the 1960s and 1970s. In the late 1950s Editor Jack Hough in his "Editor's Note on the State of the Journal" (1957 p. 476) wrote "...investigators in the field of sedimentary petrology are urged to consider the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology (JSP) as a primary outlet for their manuscripts." Although already 26 years old at that time, JSP was yet pedestrian and good papers went elsewhere (Geological Society of America Bulletin, Journal of Geology, American Journal of Science, and non-U.S. journals). My task was to turn the journal around. This aim was accomplished. By 1969, JSP not only had become the leading international journal in sedimentary geology, but its total published pages exceeded that of any volume published before or since. In fact, 21 years later the 1990 volume published approximately 30 papers less than that of 1969.

My greatest satisfaction has always been in helping others. My motto is "be friendly and helpful." My mission has included training students at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels. My students’ awards are most impressive and include the following:

At the International Level

Vice President, International Association of Sedimentologists: Eli Gavish
Committees of International Union of Geological Societies: Sal Mazzullo, Charlotte Schreiber
National Correspondent for Sedimentology, International Association of Sedimentologists: Johannes Schroeder
Chairman, Program Committee, Tenth International Sedimentological Congress: Gedalia Gvirtzman
Secretary, Program Committee, Tenth International Sedimentological Congress: Eli Gavish
Perez Grader Award, Geological Society of Israel: Eli Gavish

At the National Level

Associate Editor for American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin: Joachim Amthor
American Association of Petroleum Geologists Convention Chairman 2006: Charles Sternbach
The Sorbie Medalist of the International Association of Sedimentologists: Charlotte Schreiber
Cornell University chairperson, recipient of the Lawrence L. Sloss Award at Salt Lake City 2005 GSA meeting: Terry A. Jordan
Leverson Award, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) : Charlotte Schreiber
Leverson Award: Sal Mazzullo 3x
Honorary Mention, Outstanding Paper Award, (Society for Sedimentary Geology) SEPM: Joel Gevirtz
Outstanding Paper Award, SEPM: Peter J.R. Buttner
Reprinting by Societies of their previously published papers: Eli Gavish and Joel Gevirtz
Counselor, Geological Association of Canada: John W. Kramers
SEPM, Member of Research Committee: David Haglund
Heads of Research Groups, SEPM: Michael Treesh, Roy Nurmi, and Charlotte Schreiber
Chairman of SEPM Research Group: Joel Gevirtz
Chairman of the New York Academy of Sciences and member of the AAPG Research Committee: Charlotte Schreiber
Chairman of the Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Program: John Way
The Association of Women Geologists awarded its highest honor: Charlotte Schreiber
Vice President of AAPG: Roy Nurmi
President of GSA: Victor Baker
Vice President of the American Insitute of Professional Geologists: Bill Siok
Executive vice-president for exploration and production and member of the board of directors of the Anadarko Company: John Seitz
Mattson Award (AAPG): Joachim Amthor
National Distinguished Service Award of the AAPG: Brian Keith and Roy Nurmi
AAPG National Awards in Antonio: Roy Nurmi and Joachim Amthor
Secretary of AAPG’s House of Delegates: Brian Keith
Editorial board of Facies and received the Abraham-Gottlob Werner Medal of the German Geological Society: Johannes Schroeder
Chairman of the Board of the Geophysical Institute of Israel: Gedalia Gvirtzman
Editorial Board of Leading Edge: Linda Sternbach
Editorial board of the Journal of Sedimentary Research: Charlotte Schreiber and Sal Mazzulo
President and CEO. John received the “Living Legend in the Oil Business” award, the youngest geologist ever to receive this honor: John Seitz
Secretary-Treasurer of the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM): Sal Mazzulo
AAPG’s international award at the AAPG convention in Rio de Janeiro: Rody Medeiros (now deceased)
Membership in House of Delegates of AAPG: Ken G. Johnson, Brian Keith, and Linda Sternbach

At the Regional Level

Vice-President and Candidate for President, West Texas Geological Society: Jeff Smith
President, Edmonton Geological Society: John W. Kramers
Vice-President, Petroleum Exploration Society of New York: Roy Nurmi
Secretary, SEPM, Eastern Section: Tom McKinney
President, Eastern Section, National Association of Geology Teachers: Ken G. Johnson
Treasurer of PESNY: Joe Schrank
Treasurer of the eastern section of AAPG and moved up to vice president and president: Ken Johnson
Distinguished Service Award of the Houston Geological Society: Charles Sternbach
President Houston Geological Society: Charles Sternbach
Houston Geological Society president’s award: Charles Sternbach
Recipient of the AAPG regional Distinguished Service Award: Ken Johnson
AAPG Eastern Section’s Division of Environmental Geoscience Meritorious Contribution Award: Peter J.R. Buttner
Editor of the Houston Geological Survey Bulletin: Linda Sternbach
Chair of AAPG’s Division of Environmental Geosciences, chairman of its Earth Sciences Outreach Program, Associate Editor of Environmental Geosciences, and received the division’s research award: Ken Johnson
AAPG/ES Honorary Membership Award, and became archivist for AAPG’s eastern section: Brian Keith
Retired chief geologist from Shell Oil Company: David Haglund
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Eastern Section 2005; Outstanding Educator Award: Peter J. R. Buttner
Houston Geological Society: Honorary Life Membership: Charles Sternbach
President elect, Houston Geological Society: Linda Sternbach

I can write a book about the success of my students in the petroleum industry and in academe. Teaching to improve the geological profession, whether in the classroom, in the field, in subsurface studies, in short courses, in editorial work, or in publishing textbooks, is part of my destiny. I have taught short courses on every continent, except Antarctica, to approximately 10,500 geologists in the petroleum industry. I had during my tenure 130 Ph.D. students, masters' students, and post-doctoral associates.

I like to thank my colleagues especially Larry Woodfork, who nominated me,and my students who worked with me for receiving this award.

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