By Marc Glass (Spring 2008 issue)

Sophomore geology major Anthony Greenlaw was awarded the first Joan McDade (1978) Geology Field Study Fund scholarship in early April to support his participation in Field Geology of Newfoundland, an on-site May Term course taught by Tom Eastler, professor of geology, and Doug Reusch, assistant professor of geology.

Adventure and field study were the hallmarks of McDade’s life, which was cut short by lung cancer on March 19. While a geology/geography major at UMF, she assisted University of Florida Professor of Geology Michael Perfit with his dissertation field research in Alaska. She later worked as a cook aboard an Alaska-based crabbing boat, taught math and science in Alaska, hiked Mount Rainier and traveled to Australia and Ireland. She studied public relations at the University of Washington and served Wells Fargo as vice president and manager for community support programs.

In November 2007, McDade returned to campus with longtime friend and former roommate Christine Aronson ’75 to bid Eastler and Bill Berry, professor emeritus of geology, farewell. She also met with Pat Carpenter ’82, director of gift planning, to establish a scholarship legacy, reflecting her passions for adventure and field study. Established with matching gifts from Wells Fargo and many memorial contributions, the Joan McDade (1978) Geology Field Study Fund scholarship will be awarded annually by UMF geology faculty to a student participating in a course-related geology field trip or summer-long geology field experience.

Greenlaw of Thorndike, Maine, traveled throughout Australia and New Zealand before enrolling at UMF. He attended the Geological Society of America’s Northeast Section annual conference in Buffalo, N.Y., in March and plans to return to Australia for a study-abroad program before graduating from UMF. Greenlaw learned of McDade’s courage and life passions from geology graduate Michael Bell ’86, who delivered a moving tribute at the April 7 ceremony attended by Bell-Marin Geology Field Study Fund recipients Nancy Boucher ’09 and Sara Jones ’08, as well as UMF President Theo Kalikow, Eastler, Reusch, Aronson ’75, and her two daughters, Sarah ’07 and Amy Kannenberg ’09.

“Looking at the emotion on Dr. Eastler’s face during the ceremony, I could see how much she meant to him,” Greenlaw said. “It’s the first scholarship I’ve ever received, and it means a lot to me.”